Life is Difficult
by VincentNguyen1
Summary: Just when Max and Chloe thought they had abandoned their hometown to fate, they are blessed with the miracle of Arcadia Bay evacuated before its imminent doom. However, their actions of playing with time are not without consequences as mysterious new players descend upon Arcadia Bay.
1. Chapter 1-Miracles

Chapter 1: Miracles

"The bells have already been rung and they've heard it. Out in the dark. Among the stars. Ding dong, the God is dead. The bells, cannot be unrung! He's hungry. He's found us. And He's coming!"

-Lex Luthor from Batman V Superman

* * *

Faded memories zoomed by. A dreamy haze of past events fluttered into frame.

 _"Nobody cares. Nobody." Kate cried as she backed herself further towards the edge of the roof._

 _"_ _Everybody... used me." Nathan's distressed voice rang out through the phone._

 _"_ _For every action, this is a reaction." Warren theorized as he tried to make sense of what was happening._

 _"I'm obsessed with the idea of capturing that moment, that shift, from black, to white, to grey, and beyond." Mark Jefferson stated with a devious grin._

 _"_ _Max...I'll always be with you." Chloe uttered somberly._

The montage of images ceased momentarily as a blinding blue light ripped through the dreamscape allowing darkness to invade. New unfamiliar voices rang out with an eerie echo. Muffled gunshots and screams could faintly be heard.

 _"_ _You can only run away from your past for so long."_ An unfamiliar voice rang out.

 _"_ _You have so much power but you're too afraid to use them."_ A man's voice stated.

 _"_ _Just in case, I don't make it back, take good care of my little bro for me."_ Another man's voice requested.

 _"_ _...just look at all the devastation caused by you all manipulating time..."_ An angry male voice boomed.

The voices ceased as darkness engulfed everything.

"Look at the trail of death you left behind!" A disturbingly familiar voice accused.

Max's eyes fluttered open as she shook awake. Her blue eyes scanned her surroundings. She sighed in relief as she was still seated in the passenger seat of Chloe's pick up as they were still driving through the ruins of Arcadia Bay.

 _It was just another bad dream._ Max thought. Sitting up now, Max looked over to Chloe who was quiet as she looked at the road as they continued to drive.

They were navigating through the remains of the town as they searched for any signs of life. Unfortunately, there wasn't any. It was a ghost town as they drove from Whales dinner and through the rest of the town. There was still no signs of life.

Max opened her mouth to say something to Chloe but stopped when she was at loss for words of what to say. She settled back into her seat and gazed out the window.

The ruins greeted her again, opening old wounds as they reminded her of the ramifications of her choice. She chose to selfishly save Chloe at the cost of their hometown. Every bit of destruction, all the potential loss of life, and the psychological damage left in her wake was on her. The truck dipped slightly from a hole in the road but Max was too busy sulking as guilt ravaged her insides.

She had a chance to stop the catastrophe but she didn't take it. She was put in an impossible position of either sacrificing Arcadia Bay for her best friend Chloe or sacrificing Chloe to save the town. No matter what, it would have stung. She didn't want to let so many innocent people die but the thought of losing her best friend again for the 6th time was unbearable so she selfishly picked Chloe.

Max glanced over to Chloe as they continued to silently drive through the ruins of their once peaceful town. Her eyes got watery as she thought about all the people that could be dead right now because of her choice. After everything she tried to do to help, fate reached its cruel hand out and burned her by making her choose between Arcadia Bay or her best friend. _Why was I given this power then if I couldn't save everyone?_ Max pondered.

Max stared at Chloe who was lost in her own thoughts as she drove through the devastation of their hometown. _Did Chloe hate her for sacrificing everyone including Joyce to the tornado?_ Max bit her lip in apprehension as she turned to watch the road in front of them. If Chloe did hate her, Max didn't know what she would do now. Seattle is still a long ways away. She would be completely alone if Chloe left now.

She tried in vain to text her friends to get out of town but none of them had replied back. They could all be dead now because of her. For most of the ride through town, she couldn't help but feel like a murderer.

Max's fears were alleviated a bit this time when she checked her phone again. Her phone was stating that there was no signal. Now there was a small chance her friends made it out after all and that the cell towers were out so no one can talk.

When she last saw them, most of her friends were at the Vortex club party. The Vortex Club still brought a bitter taste to her mouth but it might have be good that they were there. The school might not have been too bad of a place to hold out against the storm. That was assuming everyone bothered to stay put there. Max recalled seeing some of her friends being in town shortly later when the storm hit. Alyssa, Evan, and Warren were there when the storm ravaged the town. She managed to save them before she used Warren's photo to rewind and save Chloe for this timeline. Unfortunately, she didn't go back into town to help this time so she had no idea what their fate would be without her intervention. It probably wasn't good though if they ended up in the same place in this timeline.

She tried to warn Kate before the storm hit but she never got a reply. Kate was at the hospital though and Max hoped that she would be safe there. She wasn't sure if the hospital could withstand the tornado but she prayed that it would. _Kate has to got to live through this._

Max didn't really expect Victoria to answer but she hoped that she would heed her warning. Victoria believed Max when she told her that her life was possibly in danger from Nathan and she was mostly right even though Jefferson took her.

 _Jefferson._ That name still sent shivers down her spine. Her idol turned out to be a psychopath. He was the one responsible for the death of so many girls and he even took her captive to be one of his next victims. He even killed Victoria and was about to kill her. Thankfully, David found her and save her in the brink of time. Max hoped that if the storm had to kill someone that it would just be Mr. Jefferson. She never wanted to see that monster again. The Dark room will be with her for awhile or even for the rest of her life but as long as Jefferson was locked away so he could never hurt anyone ever again, Max was sure she could start to recover.

Even Warren, her best friend who was known to bombard her phone with messages and reply back to her immediately when she texted him, hadn't replied back. Now she regretted leaving him out of the loop when she went back to save Chloe. Granted, he was really wasted from the party. However, he stood by her side most of the week. Warren had left them thinking that he was just a third wheel or nuisance in her friendship. She had saved him and everyone in the Two Whales diner once from the storm when she escaped the dark room but this time she wasn't there to help again. In the pit of her stomach, she had this sinking feeling that the diner was probably taken out the same way as in the timeline before she rewinded. She never even got to tell Warren that she really cared for him. He was her best friend and had her back every time she needed him. Max was aware of his crush on her and after the last few days, she thought maybe that she cared about him as more than just a friend. She may never get the chance now if the storm really killed everyone in Arcadia bay she cared about.

Max felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to her best friend who gave her a reassuring smile to cheer up. That act alone was enough to wash away some of her despair. Max felt a little better and wiped away her tears as she calmed down. _At least they still had each other to look out for. She wasn't completely alone._

Max shivered as she finally noticed how cold it was. She dug her hands into her gray sweatshirt and pulled it tight against her body to get warm. She sighed as she tried to push her thoughts away from Arcadia Bay and her nightmares. Any peace even a little would be refreshing.

"Hey." Chloe started to talk, as she looked Max's way. She was unsure what to say after all the drama earlier today.

"Hey." Max replied back as she brighten up a bit from hearing her best friend's voice.

"So what's the plan once we get on the highway?" Chloe asked. There wasn't anything in town for them. By the looks of it, the town was just a graveyard now.

"I don't know." Max replied. "After all this, I don't even know what to do anymore. Maybe we should just find a place out of town to clean ourselves up first."

Chloe exhaled. "Sounds good enough for me." Chloe became quiet again as she focused on the road again. Max signed as she rested her head against her window and gazed at the ruins some more.

They were finally out of town and away from all the destruction. Max could finally breathe as they went onto the highway and away from it all. The sun's beams bathed her body with warmth. After all of the darkness that had plagued them, Max finally felt some peace.

Max started feeling a little more hopeful when she recalled that they didn't exactly see a lot of corpses littering the streets like you would see in a horror movie or disaster movie. Maybe, the town wasn't completely lost after all. Maybe people saw the storm coming this time and got out when they did. She didn't care if she was being overly optimistic. After all this darkness, she deserved to be hopeful again.

The truck suddenly came to an abrupt stop snapping Max out of her daydream as she jolted forward.

"Holy shit!" Chloe exclaimed after stepping on the brakes quick enough to stop behind a large Armored personnel carrier. "What the fuck?"

Max sat up in her seat and stared in amazement at what was it front of them. _Can it be?_ She unbuckled her seatbelt immediately and got out of her seat. Exiting the car, her hand went to her mouth as she realized what had happened.

Her prayer might have been answered after all.

In front of them was a long line of military vehicles bogged down in traffic on the highway as they waited to turn off the highway exit. The Armored Personnel Carriers were massive tanks that towered over the trucks loaded with dozens of people from town. Those tanks were likely filled with people too.

"Oh my god." Max thought aloud. A twinge of hope arose inside of her, as she couldn't fully process what was happening.

The sound of another car door closing brought Max's attention back to Chloe who looked at the scene in front of them with a similar look of disbelief.

"Holy shit." Was all she could mutter as they looked at the miracle.

The girls looked at each other then at the scene in front of them with tears of joy and big smiles. They saw a soldier dressed in dark blue and gray fatigues who was checking up on the convoy take notice of them and came running to them.

"Glad to see you girls made it out of the carnage on your own." The soldier approached them with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. "We tried to save as many people as we could but I'm glad to see you girls made it out okay."

"How did you guys get here so soon to help?" Max asked with intrigue in her voice.

The military man was a little taken back but started to talk anyway. "We received orders to evacuate Arcadia Bay from our superiors days ago. Apparently, there was going to be a massive tornado that would wipe Arcadia Bay from the map. Thankfully, we came just in time and saved most of you all."

"That's just…amaze balls.." Chloe remarked. "I can't believe you guys made it here when you did. "

"No problem. If you girls park your car alongside the road, I can escort you on foot to the refuge center. I would hate to leave you two out here to wait for the traffic to be cleared up." The soldier turned to gesture in the direction of the other APCs.

Chloe and Max didn't waste any time in getting back into the chair and driving it to the side of the road.

"Did you catch the guy's uniform?" Chloe asked.

"No. Why?" Max inquired.

"His uniform isn't military. There's an gray emblem of a helmeted warrior on the right shoulder of the uniform. I think they're private military."

* * *

"Right this way." The soldier announced as they reached the outskirts of the refugee camp.

Max and Chloe gasped as they saw how crowded and lively it was. There was have been around a hundred tents swarmed with hundreds maybe thousands of people. Once through the gates, they started to see familiar faces like the truck driver that Max had asked to take the photo of his truck for chatting with a bunch of fellow truckers. There were also fishermen huddling together in one of the tents.

The whole town must be here she thought. At least, she really hoped the whole town was. As they continued to walk through the camp, Max kept seeing more familiar faces. Max couldn't help but smile as they continued walking. Chloe turned around and flashed a smile at her as they were overwhelmed at what they were seeing.

Max smiled even wider when she started to see her classmates as they passed the Blackwell academy refugee zone. There was Alyssa, Evan, Dana, Zackary, Brooke, Victoria, Courtney, Stella, and so many more of her classmates. She started to feel crestfallen when she didn't see Warren. Max feared that she might have lost her beloved friend in the storm. Max tried to remain optimistic. Who knows, he could just be recovering from a terrible hangover like many of the other Vortex Club members are. He was pretty drunk last time she saw him.

As her friends began to notice her presence they started to cry out "Max" and approached her and Chloe. Their circle of friends swarmed them as they were peppered with questions.

"Max. You're alright." Her friends exclaimed as they crowded around her. Chloe wondered of to the side and chatted with Justin and some of the other people from school who actually recognized her.

 _This is just too surreal._ Max thought. _This is too perfect. It's almost like the ending of Titanic where we're all in heaven. Maybe we are all actually dead after all._

Max smiled as she chatted with Alyssa, Dana, Juliet, Stella, Evan, Brooke, and Daniel. Victoria even seemed a little friendly as she flashed a quick smile in her direction. _I haven't exactly made my peace with Victoria since I rewinded but she turned out to be a good person deep down once you get fast her being a bitch._

During the commotion, Max could see an opening through the crowd and her heart felt like it was going to burst when she spotted Warren laying on the bench a mere few feet from her. He was rubbing his eyes as he slowly got up. It looked like he was still groggy from the Vortex party the night before. He finally managed to get to his feet as he clutched his head with one hand. Max excused herself from everyone as she hurried over to Warren with a big grin plastered onto her face.

* * *

Warren was just starting to get up when he heard the commotion. He was still hungover from the party and was slowly regaining his sense of location. He cursed himself for thinking it was a good idea to drink anything from the Vortex party. Everyone from the party always seemed trashed and he thought he could handle it but he underestimated the power of the Vortex Club's alcohol.

As his eyes were adjusting to the sunlight as he stood up and he slowly figured out where he was, he was suddenly taken aback when an unseen person rushed him and hugged him tight. It took a few moments before his senses came back and he realized that Max, his best friend and crush, was hugging him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back with every fiber of his strength. Max buried her face into his neck as they held each other.

"Warren, you're okay." Max cried out with joy.

"Of course. You think your White Knight goes down that easy?" He managed to joke as Max laughed and continued to hug him. "I can't vouch for the lost brain cells from the alcohol I drank though."

"When I didn't hear from you, I assumed the worst." Max stated as she pulled away to look at him, her blue eyes meeting his brown eyes.

Warren shook his head as he grinned. "You know what they say about assumptions. They make an ass out of you and me." Max grinned.

Chloe smiled at the two as she approached them. "Well lovebirds. It's been nice seeing you all but I'm going to search for my mom."

"I'll join you Chloe." Max quipped in as she untangled herself from Warren's arms.

"No need Max. You should catch up with everyone here. I'll find my mom and meet back up with you a little later."

"You sure?" Max asked as she turned to face her friend. Warren had decided to rest his arm over Max's shoulder since he was still a little dizzy and she didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah. We've been together almost all of yesterday and today. You should socialize with your other friends." Chloe smirked. "Don't miss me too much." And she was off. She imagined that Max and Warren were watching as she left the zone so she turned and waved at them before she ventured off.

* * *

Chloe ventured through camp as she desperately looked for her mother. She wasn't seeing her anywhere she thought she would be. _If everyone else she knew was still alive then her mom should still be fucking alive as well or this is bullshit!_ She thought.

Chloe frantically scanned every corner she turned as she searched for Joyce.

"Excuse me, have you seen Joyce?" Chloe asked some truckers with a hint of desperation in her voice. They shook their heads. Chloe signed and continued walking.

Chloe continued to walk further along and ask other town residents if they saw Joyce. "Have you seen Joyce?" Chloe asked some fisherman and they gave her the same disappointing answer.

Chloe huffed and looked up at the sky then lifted her hand up and held up her middle finger. As she lowered her arm, she heard a dog bark and started to walk over to where she heard the sound.

"Frank." She called out as she saw the familiar scruffy haired tattooed drug dealer seated at a metal picnic table.

Frank looked up from his seat at the blue haired girl. "Chloe" He uttered as he clenched an ice pack against his temple.

"Wow. Are you alright Frank?" She asked showing some concern for the man.

"Yeah." He huffed. "I got hit in the head by a flying stop sign if you can believe my luck."

Chloe sighed in relief, as Frank was still friendly towards her.

"Frank, have you seen Joyce anywhere?" Chloe crossed her arms and leaned on one leg.

Frank petted Pompidou and nodded. "Yeah, matter of fact, I did." He watched as Chloe got excited at his news. "I saw her go over to the med bay with some people."

"Is she okay?" Chloe asked with concern.

"Yeah. She wasn't injured or anything. She was just accompanying some people there." Frank added.

"Oh okay." She relaxed. "Thanks Frank..I'll see you around. I guess."

Frank nodded. "I'll see you around."

Chloe was back on her mission to find Joyce. She reached the med bay and was greeted to the sight of numerous wounded residents. She ignored them as she walked by beds of several wounded people being tended to by medical personnel. Joyce was nowhere to be seen until Chloe spotted the familiar blond hair and she exploded with happiness as Joyce was alive and well nursing one of the people from the town.

"Mom." Chloe cried out as she broke out into a sprint to get to her mom. She made sure to be careful not to trip over one of the beds in her sprint.

Joyce's tired and warily face looked up and broke out into a big smile at the sight of her daughter. Quickly excusing herself from the patient, Joyce got up and rushed to meet her daughter in a warm embrace.

"Chloe, thank god you're alright. I thought I lost you too." Joyce cried.

"You didn't lose me mom. I'm still here thanks to Max." Chloe cried back.

"Thank god you two are safe."

Mother and daughter continued to hold each other as tight as possible as if life depended on it. They were so overjoyed to see the other alive and well, they didn't want this moment to end.

"Is David alright?" Chloe asked as she broke away to look at her mother.

Joyce was a little surprised that Chloe cared about David enough to ask where he was. "I don't know. I haven't talked to him all of yesterday aside from telling him to move out. I just hope so."

Their reunion was cut short when a fleet of helicopters flew overhead blowing a gust of air onto the camp as they neared the ground. A large Osprey helicopter with its distinctive two propellers on the arms of the aircraft spearheaded the flock. Everyone was looking up at the commotion. Chloe noticed the helicopters had the familiar emblem again of a helmeted warrior. The helicopters landed in a clearing on the edge of camp kicking up dirt and blasting wind over where. Many of the Arcadia Bay residents flocked over to the landing zones to see the commotion.

* * *

Lucius's eyes cracked opened as he jolted awake from his slumber. His heart was still racing as he sat up in his seat to shake his head and rub his eyes with his hands. He ran his heads down his clean-shaven face as the chatter from the other passengers droned through the cargo hold of the helicopter. Lucius sighed as he adjusted his black blazer and his white button down shirt. He ran his fingers through his short dark brown hair to relax as the world came back to him and his breathing returned to normal.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Lucifer." A voice remarked. "It must have been one hell of a nightmare to make you jump like that." Lucius looked to see the devilish grin of his old friend Tobias Crane who was dressed in a black clergy uniform, and returned the smile. "Have anything from your dream you want to confess? Any sinful misdeeds?" The Spaniard leered as he lay back in his seat.

Lucius chuckled and shook his head. "Nope, nothing I can't save for the gym. Besides, I don't even remember the nightmare." He yawned and rubbed his hands.

"What a shame then. I was looking forward to analyzing your nightmare and the inner workings of that big brain of yours." Tobias signed "Oh well, there's always next time." Tobias glanced around the cargo bay then back to his friend. "If you do remember it, the church of Satan is always open." Tobias grinned with his brown eyes shining of mischief.

"I was starting to wonder how long before you bring up Satan again. At least I know I'm really awake if you're still bringing up Satan in every conversation possible."

"What can I say? I'm a big fan of his work and it's my job to spread his ideology to the sheep of the world."

"It's a guaranteed way for you to get in trouble again where I'll have to save your ass again."

Tobias waved off his comment with a flap of his hand. "Keeps life interesting for one thing. Last I checked, Freedom of speech and freedom of religion, was within my rights."

"Doesn't mean you'll be welcome by everyone. Keep that in mind before you knock on the wrong door. I'll be there when you get your free phone call from wherever you are locked up in next time."

Lucius rubbed his neck as he looked at his watch on his left wrist. His eyes lingered on the wedding ring before he gazed up at all the soldiers seated around them. "Anything interesting happen while I was out?" He asked Tobias to continue their conversation.

"We're still in the air for one thing so we're not spending six seasons on some tropical island finding ourselves. You just missed me sermoning SATAN's gospel to some friendly mercenaries."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Like I said, always bringing Satan into everything."

"We all have a little of the devil in all of us. Denying it is denying who you are. Besides, you know me, I'm all about my knives, my beer, and Satan."

"You should have that on a business card. An alcoholic knife wielding satanic preacher. It might actually get people to show up at your church for once."

"Ha ha. Thanks for the love buddy." Tobias replied sarcastically.

"You're still going to keep bringing up Satan in almost every conversation aren't you?"

"Oh hell yes." Tobias replied. "Someone has to do their civic duty and liberate the sheep of the world from their societal chains."

"That's the irony of free will, Tobias. People can choose to follow the crowd." Lucius stated.

"Sheep mentality is the ultimate sin. It's not really free will if you blindly accept and believe in the same thing without thinking for yourself."

"You clearly haven't been on the internet for awhile. Trust me, I understand your disdain too."

"This world is populated with sheep, Lucifer. They're everywhere from the dude at the counter when you're ordering food to the mindless drones at the capital jabbing on and on about how poor we are. They are so misguided and naive. No wonder the world is so fucked up. They're practically handing us, the wolves, the world to turn into our own personal playground."

"That's one way to look at it all as an anarchist." Lucius commented. "Glad to see that you haven't lost your psychotic touch."

Tobias grinned. "Glad to see you're still a smart ass as always."

Lucius nodded and looked over to the soldiers on board. "Hope we weren't bothering you all with our philosophical chit chat."

Some of the soldiers shook their heads.

"Not at all. It beats listening to the propellers the whole trip." A soldier commented.

"So Tobias manage to convert any of you?" Lucius asked.

All the soldiers shook their heads as some mouthed "no".

"Baaaaa" Tobias interjected as he mocked the soldiers. "More food for the wolves then."

Lucius shook his head at his friend's antics. It wouldn't be Tobias if he weren't so eccentric.

As Lucius sighed and settled back into his as seat, one of the men spoke up. "Excuse me sir, I heard that you were from Arcadia Bay. Is it true?"

Lucius looked up at all the soldiers on board who were eagerly awaiting his answer. Tobias shrugged when Lucius glanced over at him.

Lucius exhaled as he faced the eager soldiers on board. "Yeah. You heard right, I was born and raised in Arcadia Bay more than half my life. You can ask Tobias to verify the story if you like because he and I went to the same schools."

"I never pegged you as a small town boy." Remarked one of the other soldiers. "We all assumed you came from the city judging from how you dress and act."

Lucius shrugged. "Things aren't always as they seem. You should know that. Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Pay up gentlemen." A blond female soldier remarked as Lucius and Tobias watched in amusement as the men grumbled and pull out money and hand it over to her. The female soldier basked in triumph as she earned a large hearty amount of twenty-dollar bills.

"Welcome home." Lucius heard one of the soldiers mutter.

"Corporal Thompson isn't it?" Lucius spoke up.

"Yes sir." The female soldier replied.

"How is it you were the only one that knew I didn't grow up in the city?" Lucius asked the soldier out of curiosity.

"I just call it a hunch, sir. You speak to people with a certain generosity that...no offense to some of your city folk...most city people don't have." The female soldier replied as she finished stuffing money into her pockets.

Tobias nudged Lucius and grinned. "Thanks for the compliment." Lucius replied. "Certain generosity huh."

"Has the national guard responded yet?" A soldier asked aloud interrupting them.

"Nah not as long as they still follow orders from Washington. No siree, we won't be seeing them for a while." A soldier replied. "Spartan Defense are the real deal in getting things done."

"At least we don't have to put up with any bullshit with them." Another soldier chimed in.

"Sir." The female soldier spoke up again to regain his attention. "What do you plan on doing now that you are back in your hometown?"

Lucius looked over at her then at the other soldiers who listened to see what he had to say. "I'm going to visit some family I haven't seen in awhile."

"When's the last time you've seen them?" The female soldier asked again.

"Eleven years." Lucius stated. The other soldiers and even Tobias were quiet as they heard the news.

"Five minutes until we land." The pilot shouted for the passengers to hear.

Lucius breathed as he watched the men adjust their gear and medical personnel making final inventory counts as the helicopter descended. Lucius reached into his blazer pocket and put on his sunglasses as the helicopter touched the ground. Tobias secured his book bag and combed back his hair with his hand and rubbed his five o'clock shadow.

As the helicopter stabilized, he adjusted his suit one more time as the helicopter hangar doors dropped down basking them all in sunlight. He beckoned and smiled to the soldiers and medical personnel to disembark first.

"Good luck seeing the family again." The soldiers said to him as they left.

Lucius waited as the last of the personnel exited the helicopter before getting up with Tobias in tow and they left the helicopter. Lucius looked over to Tobias and they grinned at how ridiculous they must seem compared to the camp; a nicely dressed gentlemen and a preacher in clergy attire.

Lucius watched as soldiers embarked the other helicopters and frantically rush additional medical supplies and other supplies into the camp then into the hands of the residents that needed it.

"This way, sir. Ms. Li is here to welcome you to home base." A soldier shouted over the propellers as he ran up to the man shielding his face from the gust of air being kicked into his face from the helicopter.

Lucius nodded as he and Tobias followed the soldier. He started stretching his arms and legs as he walked away from the helicopter. Tobias ruffled his clergy clothing to brush off any loose dirt kicked up by the propellers.

The soldier escorted Lucius and Tobias further away from the helicopters. They watched as the helicopters rose up into the air kicking up dirt with a large gust of wind and departed. Lucius glanced over to the crowd of Arcadia Bay residents who looked at the newcomers (or really old faces) with intrigue.

"Townspeople look different. That's for sure." Tobias remarked as he peeled a stick of gum and chewed on it. He stuffed the wrapper into his pocket.

"That what happens when you've been away for awhile. Things tend to change." Lucius replied.

"It's still surreal to be back at genesis of our lives." Tobias continued.

"I'm curious to see what's different and what stayed the same after all these years." Lucius stated.

"We got plenty of time to conquer this place as we're here." Tobias shook Lucius's shoulders.

"This way sir." The soldier beckoned. They followed the soldier as he lead them to a congregate of soldiers and camp personnel with a slim Asian lady dressed in a business suit in front of them.

Lucius broke out in a big smile as he approached her. The women returned his joy and threw her arms around the man as they embraced.

"Good to see you again Lucius. It's been awhile."

"Good to see you in the flesh again too, Diana. It's a crime we haven't seen each other more often."

They broke apart as Diana looked over to Tobias and offered her hand to shake his. "How are you doing Tobias? Still preaching?"

"Of course. What else would I be doing with my life to keep myself out of trouble?" Tobias remarked as he shook her hand.

Diana gave him a smile and beckoned the two men to follow her.

"How was the evacuation?" Lucius asked as Tobias followed suit and listened.

"It's good considering our limited time frame but it would have been far worse if Spartan Defense didn't show up." She replied. "We managed to evaluate most of the townspeople before the storm got too bad with the exception of several stubborn residents and some people we couldn't get out in time."

"Better to have most of the townspeople then none at all." Lucius remarked.

Diana nodded. "You won't believe how gigantic the tornado was according to the soldiers that say it. The TV channels didn't catch the magnitude of its size. It's like God himself wanted to erase this town of the map."

"God you say. I'm sure Satan wouldn't do that." Tobias remarked as Lucius and Diana rolled their eyes.

The congregate continued to walk through camp as they made their way to the base of operations tent.

Lucius noted all the people that looked their way with intrigue as they walked through the camp. He gave a courteous smile to the bystanders as he walked further through the camp. There were a few familiar faces scattered about but most of the people he saw were new faces. A blue haired girl caught his eye. She was standing next to Joyce, the waitress of Whales Dinner. The hair was outrageous of course and it succeeded in catching his attention. _Huh. Blade Runner._

"Rescue parties are being sent in as we speak to find any more survivors in town" Diana continued. "Won't be long before this nightmare is over but the world will know that Spartan Defense is responsible for saving so many lives."

"At least you two get to stick it to the bureaucrats." Tobias interjected.

"After this, a lot of politicians are going to starting throwing their support towards the corporation." Lucius added.

"Desperate is all I have to say about them." Diana remarked. "All those snakes would do anything to get buzz for their careers."

"So Diana. Has my tent been setup yet?" Tobias asked.

"Oh yeah. It's already up and running. We placed it just outside the med bay as you requested." Diana replied as they stepped in front of the large command tent. It was surrounded with scores of personal frantically rushing about to tend to the relief effort.

"Wow. I'm honored that you guys put it perfectly next to the people that I'm going to prey upon and convert to my side."

"Don't get that get to your ego. Just be glad that you're good friends with Lucius and that I can tolerate you."

"And I appreciate the love you two have for me. Really I do."

"Try not to make me regret knowing you." Lucius said. "Just try to stay out of trouble this time."

"No promises.. So this is where I leave you guys. Preaching isn't going to do it by itself. I better get busy preaching about Satan." With that, Tobias started to walk off into the camp.

Lucius shook his head as Tobias started to walk off. "Why don't you try saying that a little louder, I don't think the other side of camp heard you."

"I'm going to preach about our lord Satan." Tobias shouted to the skies as he walked away triumphantly.

"Remind me again why you are friends with him." Diana remarked.

Lucius shrugged. "Everybody needs a psychotic best friend to keep life interesting." He grinned.

"Fair enough." Diana agreed and gestured to the tent entrance.

Lucius and Diana entered the large tent which was filled with communications equipment and crowded with people answering the radio or sorting papers. It very lively inside the tent as the personal inside was flocking about.

"Impressive set up." Lucius commented as he leaned on the table and looked at Diana as she looked through some papers.

"This is Spartan Defense after all." Diana sounded humble.

"Do you have the town registry?" He asked.

"I had a feeling you would ask." she grabbed a stack of papers and handed it over to him.

Lucius sifted through some of the papers as Diana looked on. He reached a particular paper and paused as he scanned the paper. "Is this fully updated?"

"Its as up to date as it could be. It'll take us the rest of the week to take account of everyone here. I'm sorry. I'm sure your family is fine though."

Lucius paused then looked up his friend. "I'm going to have a look around the camp then."

"You want me to accompany you?" Diana asked as she sensed the unease in her friend.

"No. We need you here at the central hub to run everything. Without you, the camp would be in shambles in minutes." Lucius grinned.

"Okay. Like I said Lucius. They should be fine." Diana assured him.

Lucius walked out of the tent as sunlight greeted him. A soldier approached him.

"I'm just going on a stroll through the camp." Lucius stated as Thomas got close.

"Of course sir. Do you want an escort?" The soldier inquired.

"I'm sure I won't require protection from a bunch of residents who just lost their homes. Even if they are housebroken." Lucius smirked. "Besides, I want to get a feel of the townspeople without them feeling like they're under occupation."

Lucius left the tent and adjusted his suit one more time as he took in a breath of fresh air then began to walk through the camp. He was greeted by his personal as he passed by. Some of the Arcadia Bay residents didn't take notice of him as he passed by. Some looked up at him with interest as he passed by.

Lucius walked up to one of the Spartan medics. "Excuse me, do you know where the Blackwell Academy refuges are located?

"Yes sir. We just moved in a large number of students into camp just recently." The medic looked up then gestured, "It's that way, sir."

"Thank you." Lucius replied as he went back to walking through the camp.

* * *

"You feeling better Warren?" Max asked from her seat on the bench next to Warren.

"Yeah. My head still hurts but I'm feeling better." Warren smiled. "Good thing you didn't drink anything at the party. I probably deterred you and Chloe off from doing so since I stumbled out of the party so wasted."

"Well that was one of the reasons." Max replied. "So how did you get here?"

"Well after the party, I barely made it back to my dorm. Yeah, try going up the stairs when the world is spinning around you." Warren rubbed his eyes. "I was dozing off when I heard a lot of commotion outside. There were these military guys gathering up everyone and telling us about this storm that was coming."

Max nodded as she paid close attention.

"So we all got packed into a bunch of trucks and they transported us away from the school. I didn't know what was really happening on account of the hangover but I had a feeling the storm was really bad. When we got to camp, I just dozed off. It's a good thing that these guys got here when they did. Who knows how bad it would have been when the storm hit us?"

"Do you know about what happened with the town?" Max inquired, as she got anxious to hear news about the residents in the town.

"From what I've heard, the military dudes evacuated the town first before they went for Blackwell." Warren rubbed the back of his head. "I thought you knew about the evacuation. It was the talk of the week. Where were you and Chloe anyway?"

"We were hiding out at the lighthouse." Max answered.

"At least you...and Chloe were safe. So anyway the town was already evaluated when we all got here. I'm just thankful they came when they did."

"Me too Warren." Max smiled. It made her feel less guilty that she chose to sacrifice Arcadia Bay for Chloe. She didn't want anyone to know about her choice ever. "I was worried that you didn't make it out of the storm...since you didn't reply back to my text."

Warren took how his phone. "I was probably so trashed that I missed your text. Cell towers must have been knocked down or something by then because I still don't have any bars." Warren smiled. "So you were worried about me?" He smiled jokingly hoping to lighten up the conversation.

Max smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. "Of course. What kind of a person would I be if I didn't care?"

"Well there's that time you left me with Nathan when you ran off with Chloe."

"Fine. Guilty as charged. I'm still sorry about that." Max pretended be hurt.

Warren smirked. "No worries. At least you got away from him when you did. Besides chicks dig scars right?"

Max rolled her eyes. "It just a black eye you dork."

"Hey dorks." Chloe came back behind them wrapping her arms around the two. "So are you two talking about "going ape" again?"

"Shhh. Chloe." Max shushed. "Not so loud." Although the three of them knew what "going ape" was, it didn't mean that everyone else did and it sounded weird out of context.

"I'm just messing with you. Hella day so far isn't it?" Chloe interjected, as she was significantly happier than earlier in the day.

"More like week." Warren added. "All this crazy weather and Arcadia Bay is evacuated."

"At least no school." Max smiled. "I wouldn't mind taking a break after this week." She looked back up at Chloe who nodded.

"You know what this moment calls for? A group photo!" Chloe exclaimed. Max looked at her two friends then down to her bag then nodded. This was a moment worth capturing.

Max got her Polaroid camera from her bag and held it away from her and angled it so that they were all in the shot then she clicked the flash button. The camera flashed and their photo came out. Max took it and flicked it in her hand so it would dry out.

The three friends looked at the photo as Max brought it closer to them.

The three of them continued to chat and joke around for a bit until someone caught her eye. "Look at Mr. tall and handsome over there." Chloe remarked.

After the whole ordeal with Mr. Jefferson and the Dark room, she wasn't really interested in ogling another older man but she looked up anyway. In front of her just outside their zone was a nicely dressed man in a black blazer, white button up shirt, and black dress pants donning dark sunglasses. His green eyes were looking their way after he removed his sunglasses with his right hand as he looked back over to where they were seated. He had a smug look on his face as though he was just smiling at a bunch of friends hanging out together.

Warren looked up a second later. "Uhh. I should go try to find my parents." He suddenly announced.

Max looked back to him with surprise and noticed that Warren's gleeful look before was gone and replaced with a stern look. She could even see apprehension in his eyes. "Warren." She asked with worry in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"I just need to look for my parents that's all." Warren replied as he got up, turned around, and preceded to leave.

"Warren?" Max called out. Something was wrong with him.

"Dude. What are we scaring you off or something?" Chloe added.

"Max...Chloe, I'm fine, I just need to find my parents that's all." Warren said as he left.

Max and Chloe watched as Warren scampered out. Then they turned their attention to the man they just saw. The man was also getting ready to leave. He put his sunglasses back on and turned to walk the other direction.

"Wow. That was bizarre." Chloe started. "Mr. Mysterious over there scared off Ape boy."

Max continued to watch as the man turn the corner of a tent and walk away.

"Max. Does Warren have a brother, step father, or anyone that you know about?"

"I don't think so. I haven't seen his family yet but he's never mentioned a brother or step father before."

"Well you know him better than I do. Who do you think it was over there."

"I don't know Chloe but it spooked him off."

"Maybe Warren is full of more surprises than we thought. He's not just your geeky boyfriend after all."

"Chloe. He's not my boyfriend." Max replied, as she turned away for a bit to hide her embarrassed face from her best friend. _Not yet anyway._

"Yeah, because you're already with me right?" Chloe joked as she nudged Max.

Max rolled her eyes. "Seriously Chloe, I've known Warren for over a month and he's never brought up a brother or some other family member before besides his parents."

Chloe looked back up to the other students flocking around them. "Well, when we see Warren again, we can ask him what that was all about."

Max nodded. She looked up at all the people that were alive at the camp and her heart dropped a bit. This didn't go unnoticed by Chloe.

"Max. How are you doing?" Chloe asked as she recalled everything that Max went through.

"I'm just thinking Chloe." Max paused and she looked down as she started to feel really bad. "It's just that earlier. I choose to sacrifice Arcadia Bay because I didn't want to lose you."

Chloe looked over at Max with sympathy.

"I didn't want to leave the town like that to be destroyed or let anyone die but I just couldn't let you die again." Max got teary eyed.

"Max, you need to stop beating yourself over that. The town turned out fine after all. At least so far. It was an impossible choice but I think you made the right choice after all." Chloe smiled as she wrapped her arms around her best friend. "You saved me and a lot of people in Arcadia Bay got out after all. Don't let yourself be dragged down by dwelling on your choice. Please, I want the Max I know back. Come on we should be celebrating!"

Max looked up at her best friend and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Thanks Chloe, you're right." She stood up and hugged her best friend who returned the embrace.

"Of course I'm right. When am I ever wrong?" Chloe joked. "Actually don't answer that."

Max laughed as they pulled away. Her mood improved as her smile came back.

"Now come on, we should go see my mom or hang out with your friends instead of just sitting around."

* * *

Lucius was on his way back to the command tent. The camp's liveliness was contagious and he couldn't help but smile as he ventured through the busy refuge.

He already paid a visit to the medic tents and was relieved that everything was under control. There were no really serious cases as the town was thankfully evaluated before the storm reached the town. The hospital and its patients were safe since the it was out of reach from the storm.

Walking through the camp was like a trip down memory lane. While he didn't recognize all the new faces, there were still a good number of people he remembered like some fishermen and truckers. There was Principal Wells, who was for better or worse still the same principal he had years ago. There was the really sketchy dude covered in tattoos who looked like he didn't shower in days sitting around with his dog while munching down on a can of beans. He saw Joyce earlier as well and he was glad to see she made it out as well.

The Arcadia Bay police department was scattered about with their families or helping out in the refugee camp. Someone caught his eye and he realized that the person had a look of contempt on his face. Lucius shook off the cold shoulder as he continued trending through camp. _Never thought I would see that same snarl again._

As Lucius turned the corner, he couldn't help but grin at the spectacle in front of him. Before his very eyes was a fortuneteller tent. There was a young gypsy woman with long brown hair tied into a bun seated outside her own makeshift tent with a sign titled "Madame Kowalski Fortune Teller." She had a fancy brown dress with a lot of jewelry on her wrists and around her neck.

Lucius debated whether he should chat with the women. He paused as he contemplated his course of action. After a few seconds, he decided to meet her.

He approached the young women and commented, "Isn't it a bit too soon to set up shop? The town was literally destroyed this morning."

Her mesmerizing green eyes meet his green eyes and she smiled. "It's never too early to learn about one's future."

"But you can be too late to learn the future." Lucius grinned. "So I have to ask anyway. Did you see the storm coming?"

The woman grinned. "Matter of fact, I did. It was so blatantly obvious to me ...after the emergency announcement and a bunch of soldiers came into town to evacuate everyone." Lucius grinned at her answer. "Aside from that, no. It's beyond even my capabilities, I'm afraid."

"That's a shame then. It would have been so useful."

"Who would be believe a lowly gypsy women like me if I told them a tornado was going to wipe the town from the map?" She asked mockingly.

"I've seen a lot of crazy shit. I would hear you out." Lucius smiled. "You don't seem untrustworthy."

"Thank you but unfortunately most people aren't as open minded as you."

Anyway..." Lucius said as he reached into his pocket and grabbed some cash. "...What will two hundred dollars tell me about my future?" Lucius deposited the money in front of her.

The Madame gasped in surprise as Lucius gave her the walloping amount of money. Lucius didn't seem to care.

"Well, only one way to find out. Please come on into my tent." The Madame opened the flap of her tent to beckon him to follow.

"I better not get cursed after this." Lucius commented as he followed her into the tent and stopped at her round table. The tent was filled with various strange relics or knick-knacks as he thought. There was a few crates, some furniture, and other miscellaneous items piled about but otherwise the tent was very roomy.

"Please take a seat." The Madame gestured to the fold up chair as she took a seat in the other across from him. They both sat down.

"Is it true that Gypsies read fortunes through crystal balls or cards?"

"Well, I can't say for everyone's methods but my specialty is reading a person's palm and glimpsing their destiny from there."

Lucius placed both arms on the table. She reached out for his right hand, which he lifted up and moved over for her hands to grasp it. She closed her eyes as she started to read his hand.

"Tell me do you believe in fate, Lucius." The Madame asked him. Lucius didn't seem fazed.

"I believe people are free to carve their own fates." Lucius stated as she felt his palm. "Did you find out my name from reading me?"

She opened her eyes. "Didn't need to. Everyone in Oregon knows the infamous Detective Lucius Graham, the prodigious son of the late FBI detective Thomas Graham."

"I didn't realize that was still going around." Lucius commented.

"It's impossible to miss around these parts. A local town boy follows in his father's footsteps by joining law enforcement to bring justice to his killers is an inspiring tale. It's practically engraved into folklore around these parts."

"Since, we're on the topic of reputations." Lucius got serious. "I'm sure you're well aware of your own reputation around these parts."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She pretended to play dumb.

Lucius pointed to her diamond bracelet with his left hand. "I seem to recall that that particular bracelet was reported stolen."

"Oh it was. A bunch of thieves stole it awhile back." She smiled at him. "It's in better hands now."

Lucius nodded. "Well, this leads me to believe that you are the infamous cat burglar Jeanne Carter."

"You figure that out with your detective skills or…" She leaned forward. "…Did your abilities tell you?"

Lucius grinned. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"A little birdy told me once that you could do things that defied the laws of physics and had a sixth sense of knowing what was going to happen before it happened."

"Don't believe everything you hear, Miss Carter." He smirked.

"Please, just call me Jeanne. Mr. Graham." She countered with her own smirk.

"You can call me Lucius. Nice to meet you in person, Jeanne."

"The pleasure is all mine." She replied as she grasped his hand and shook it. Lucius chimed into the greeting by taking her hand and raising it up to his lips to kiss it. Jeanne smiled at his conduct.

"I'll admit. I wasn't expecting to run into you like this. Layla never mentioned a gypsy sister." Lucius commented. "Then again, I shouldn't be so surprised after being around her."

"Yeah. She has that effect on everyone." Jeanne signed. "One of a kind girl."

Lucius nodded. "One of a kind."

"Thank you for taking care of her when you did and for making the people responsible for her death pay." Jeanne spoke up.

"No problem. They won't be a bother to anyone else. She was a good friend and ally."

"I'm glad you finally put her talents to good use."

"Her computer skills were unmatched. Wouldn't have solved some of my cases without her." Lucius scratched his neck with his left hand. "I don't remember seeing you at her funeral."

"Well I was. Trust me, I was there and you didn't know it."

"How are you holding up?" Lucius inquired.

"Much better now after I've meet the mysterious man my sister loves working with. She was right about how kind and charming you are."

"Thank you for the compliment. Its also why I'm not going to arrest you." He joked.

"Ha ha. I know that you're just a private detective now."

"I still dabble with the police every now and then." He remarked as she smiled at him.

They were quiet as they enjoyed each other's company. Jeanne was staring at him.

"So is it true that you have powers." Jeanne asked with curiosity.

Lucius signed and he looked at her. "I thought I told Layla to keep it between us but yeah. I do.

"Well, you know Layla. Besides, sisterhood overrides any other promises, I'm afraid."

"As long as she didn't go around telling everyone, then welcome to the club. She didn't tell anyone else, right?" Lucius inquired.

"Oh don't worry, she didn't." Jeanne bit her lip. "So do you mind showing me your powers?"

Lucius held up his left hand to stop her. "One sec. I have a text." He sat back in his seat.

Jeanne paused; as she looked at him sit quietly. Then sure enough, she heard his phone vibrate on cue in his pocket.

Lucius reached into his pocket and snatched his phone. Glancing at the screen, he grinned at his text from Justin and Mary Winthrop.

Justin and Mary Winthrop: Hey drop by the comic shop soon. We have a new batch of Blackest Night on our shelves. We also miss your visits.

Lucius looked up at Jeanne's slightly surprised look. "One moment please."

Lucius: Sure, I'll drop by sometime later this week when I've taken care of some business at home.

A short second later, he got a reply.

Justin and Mary Winthrop: We'll see you then.

Before Jeanne could ask.

"It's my new friends, Justin and Mary Winthrop. I helped them not long ago with their problem and now I get a lot of discounts at their comic book store."

"Okay. That was pretty cool." She paused to think. "I'm not entirely convinced just yet. What else do you have up your sleeve?"

"Aren't you forgetting why we came inside the tent in the first place, Jeanne, what can you tell me about my future?"

She smiled. "Now I have to ask. Why don't you view your own future without my help?"

"I'm afraid, my powers don't work that flawlessly and a lot of detectives would be unemployed if they did." He grinned. "Movies just don't nail how difficult playing with time is. It's not all about killer robots from the future."

Jeanne nodded. "Fair enough. Let's see what's in store for you." She started to read his hand. "Ah. I see that you seek to go to war with Sean Prescott and the rest of the Prescott family."

"Our families have a lot of bad blood that's been brewing for years. It's time that I ended it once and for all."

"I'll be rooting for you when the fireworks start. " She gave her an assuring smile. "Ahh. On brighter note, you desire reconnecting with some family. I hope it bodes well when you run into your mother and younger brother."

"I hope so too. I'm more worried about that than Sean Dickface."

She nodded in agreement. She paused as she continued to read him. "You're also here to find someone but not any particular someone. This person is really different from anyone you sought for before. It's someone of utmost importance you need to find."

Lucius chimed in. "Let's say for now. This person I'm searching for is someone I want to chat... consequences with."

Jeanne shrugged. "I always in a mood for a manhunt. It's like there is anything good on cable these days. I'm sure you'll get them."

"I wouldn't have been a good detective if I didn't take down culprits all the time. The Graham family started off as hunters when they came to Arcadia Bay so hunting down our prey is our inherent specialty."

"Do you believe it was fate that brought us here?" Jeanne started again.

"Or a tornado." Lucius commented to the side. "I wouldn't call that fate."

"But do you ever wonder if it was fate that the tornado was supposed to level the town?"

Lucius chuckled. "What kind of twisted fate is that? Now that's getting into crazy talk."

"I'm serious. Do you ever if everything happens for a reason."

"Not everything is connected and intertwined. People love to theorize that everything is a conspiracy and that everything is linked. Perhaps, shit just happens."

"I guess. It's something to ponder."

"There's a lot of strange stuff out there and we're all trying to make sense of the chaos in the world." Lucius remarked.

"Well, I'm not sure how to explain a gypsy master thief and psychic detective chatting about fate." Jeanne grinned.

Lucius shrugged. "I'm friends with a Satanic preacher and a former KGB operative who runs my nightclub so I stopped trying to explain everything and just went with it. So anything else you see about my future?"

"You had a terrifying nightmare on the flight here." Jeanne proclaimed silencing Lucius.

"What can you tell me of my nightmare?" Lucius asked eager to recount details of what he saw.

She exhaled. "I see a dark city...gunfire...riots, fire...and death." Jeanne said as she tried to extract more images. "It looks like the person you're searching before is linked to this."

Lucius was quiet as the sequences came back to him. "Do you think it's a vision of the future?"

Jeanne released his head, breathing heavily from the mental exhaustion. "I don't know what you saw but I don't think it was just a dream. Time will tell what you saw and what it means." She drummed her fingers on the table.

"I think that's enough future talk for today." Lucius stated as Jeanne nodded. "Thank you, for lending your expertise. I should get going. I have people to see and trouble to stir."

"Before you go, since Layla is gone, I believe you have a job opening."

"I'm not sure my enterprise is in serious need of fortune tellers. I got that covered."

"I'm offering to take my sister's place in your operation."

"You don't struck me as a tech expert."

"Neither did Layla and she's the reason for many of your victories."

"That she did. So how good are you?"

"Who do you think taught her?"

Lucius smiled. "I guess you'll need my number then."

"Don't worry. I already know."

Lucius snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "Right, fortune powers."

"No. Layla gave it to me just in case I needed it. I guess we'll be seeing more of each other."

"Yeah. I guess we will." Lucius extended his hand out to shake hers, which she accepted. "Until next time then."

Lucius was bathed in sunlight as he stepped out of the tent. He glanced around the camp and he signed. _Well that was an interesting conversation._

"Lucius felt his phone vibrate so he reached into his pants pocket and got out his phone. He had received a text from Marcus, his friend and also boss since he was the CEO of Spartan Military Innovations.

Marcus: We have to meet and discuss what has taken place.

Lucius: Arcadia Bay Lighthouse

As Lucius finished typing, he looked up at the sun and started walking.

* * *

"Max! Good to see that you're okay." Joyce exclaimed as she hugged the young women. "I was so worried for you and Chloe."

"We were fine, mom. Max and I got away from the storm before it hit." Chloe huffed.

"I know but I'm just to see that you too are fine." Joyce finally released Max from her bear hug.

"So did you hear back from David yet?" Max asked.

"No. Dang Cell towers are still down. I can't reach him. I just hope he's alright." Joyce spoke with a hint of apprehension in her voice.

"Come on mom. After all these miracles so far, it would just be bullshit if David wasn't alright after all." Chloe smirked.

"I'm sure he's fine Joyce." Max assured her. "If he was still in town with the rest of the police department then he would have been evacuated with everyone else."

Joyce smiled at the two girls and nodded. "Thanks girls."

As though her prayer had been answered, Joyce spotted the familiar buzz cut and square jawed man. "David!". Joyce ran by the two girls and wrapped her arms around David.

David quickly returned the hug. "Oh God. Joyce. You and Chloe are all right. When I didn't see either one of you, I started to fear for the worst."

Max and Chloe were a little surprised to see that David's eyes got a little teary eyed. The thought of David crying was honestly maybe just as scary to them as the tornado was.

"Chloe" David spoke up as he looked over to her.

Chloe hesitantly approached David. While the last time they spoke was on good terms when they managed to convince him about Mr. Jefferson's dark room, there was still the all out war at the Price household.

Max and Joyce could sense the unease between the two. They both signed in relief when Chloe extended her right hand out for a handshake. David reached his right hand out and shook her hand.

 _At least they're finally getting along somewhat._ Max thought.

* * *

The sun was descending over the horizon basking the peaceful landscape in orange light as Lucius reached the hill to the lighthouse. The breeze was refreshing as it cooled him down from his long trek from the town to the lighthouse. The sounds of birds and other wildlife buzzed all around him to greet him as he followed a dirt path through the trees and reached the bottom of the staircase.

The trip to get from the refugee camp to the lighthouse wasn't too difficult thanks to his ties with Spartan Defense. After getting the text from Marcus, Lucius hitched a ride on a truck full of soldiers inbound for the rescue effort in town.

Once they reached the ruins of Arcadia Bay, Lucius went on a stroll through the leveled town to pass time before the meetup. Lucius watched the rescue crews dug up the rubble of destroyed buildings to pry out the terrified townspeople from their basements. It was heartbreaking to see the people be so overjoyed when they came out of the darkness of their tombs.

Lucius couldn't help but use his precognitive abilities to aid the rescue crew. To mask his powers, he lied about overhearing the scream of the trapped civilians as he pointed out to the soldiers where some of the people were trapped. They bought his story and no one was the wiser.

Walking through the ravaged town was eerily as it echoed the much worse outcome that could have happened if Spartan Defense didn't intervene.

Lucius looked up from his watch on his left wrist to the steep staircase leading up the hill. Walking up the steps to the lighthouse wouldn't be much of a challenge to Lucius who was in good shape. However, it was also a good opportunity to cheat by using his powers to get to the top of the hill. He cracked his neck took in a breath of fresh air.

Lucius focused his attention to the top of the first flight of stairs, he felt the world around him came to a standstill as the wind and bird chirpings around him became muffled and a leaf freeze in front of him for a second. There was a slight humming in the air, and then in a blink of an eye, he was at top of the stairs. The world went back to normal as the wind and sounds of local wildlife returned.

He exhaled and looked behind him at the steps he conquered without even having to step foot on it. Lucius grinned at his feat and adjusted his clothes as he walked down the dirt path until he reached the next set of steps. He rubbed his hands together as the world around him slowed down and he vanished in a blur to the top of the next set of stairs.

He repeated his usage of his teleporting abilities until he was finally at the top of the hill with the lighthouse. An otherwise 5 minute feat to ascend the stairs took Lucius only a few seconds.

The pale lighthouse welcomed him as he ventured over to the bench by the edge of the cliff. Lucius rested his hands on the back of the bench and he leaned against it as he glanced once at the old structure watching over the town then to the ruins of Arcadia Bay.

The sounds of seagulls filled the air to comfort him as he watched the waves crash onto the shores of the town. At least things are starting to return to normal if the wildlife had returned.

 _Well, I'm home at last. It took 11 years but I've finally set foot back to my roots. I just wish it was under better circumstances without Sharknado laying waste to it. It's so strange to be back home after so long. The town is different...well it's destroyed but it looks different judging from the debris that was once connected to the buildings. The people are almost unrecognizable too. It's going to take some time to get used to home again._

The sound of rustling leaves behind him got his attention. Lucius glanced over his shoulder as he heard footsteps coming up the steps. He looked down the hill to see Diana and large muscular African American dressed in a business suit coming up the hill together.

"Lucius, good to see you again, man." The African man smiled as he drew Lucius into a brief bear hug.

"Back at ya, Marcus." Lucius returned as he patted his friend on the back as they hugged.

Diana nodded at him as Marcus and Lucius broke apart from the hug. "Nice place you picked for us to chat."

"I thought we could all use some fresh air and good view. The destroyed town is a downer but the view here is gorgeous."

Marcus nodded. "It's not exactly like the brochure, especially the current state of the town but I see what the hubblub is about. It's a nice view."

"It would have been nicer if this tornado didn't ravage it."

"Which is why we're here." Marcus said. Dana nodded as she stood with the two men.

"Someone has been rewinding time here." Lucius finished. "And they're responsible for the tornado."


	2. Chapter 2-Reoccurrence

Chapter 2- Recurrence

* * *

"Well, you and David seem to be on better terms now." Max stated as she and Chloe were walking through camp. The sun was still shining over them basking them in orange sunlight as the camp was alive with activity around them.

"Yeah. After everything he's done: saving you from Jefferson and believing us about the bunker, I guess he deserves another shot." Chloe remarked. "But I'll miss calling his step douche. Also step fuhrer, step-prick, step dork, Sgt. Shithead... "

"Okay. I get the picture." Max interrupted. I'm just glad the civil war between you two is over." Max said as she stuffed her hands into her gray sweatshirt."There can finally be some peace at the Price household."

"If it even is still standing after the storm. That was one big ass tornado." Chloe interjected. "Not fighting with David should be child's play after everything that has happened this week. I just need to get used to not calling him step douche all the time but I'm sure it'll still slip up every now and then."

"I still can't believe that it's only been five days since I first got my powers and all this insanity started." Max signed. "I can still feel the rain on my face when I first had that vision of the tornado. Then when I first used the rewind to save you back in the bathroom. Wowzer, it feels like a lifetime ago."

"Or yesterday if you used your rewind." Chloe nudged her. "At least it was a memorable five days. I don't recall having as much fun as we did this week. Who knew time travel would be so much fun."

"It was all fun and games until we went looking for Rachel and the tornado hit." Max mentally slapped herself for bringing up Rachel so soon.

"I know. I know. I was just reflecting on the good times before it got so fucked up. You know before all mystery, drama…and death." Chloe's mood dropped as she was probably thinking of Rachel.

Max didn't want Chloe to drift back to the darkness so she quickly came to cheer up her best friend. "There were good times. We became best friends again after being apart for five years. If there was one thing I'm grateful for this week, it is having you back in my life."

Chloe nodded as she stood pondering. Her lips slowly formulated into an infectious grin causing Max to smile also. "You should be. Your life would be so boring and dreary without me around to spice things up." Now that's starting to sound like the Chloe Max knew.

"My life isn't that boring." Max pretended to be offended as she played along.

"Please, girl. You take photos as a hobby." Chloe joked. "You were begging for me to save you from boredom."

"Ha ha. Funny. If I didn't come back into your life, you could in prison right now for shooting your gun everywhere while you were high." Max shook her head.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say Caufield. Whatever you say. You should be honored that I've came back into your life to spice it up."

Max rolled her eyes. "For the record, I didn't have much of a choice since you almost ran me over with your truck."

"Hey, I saved you from Nathan." Chloe retorted.

"But you still almost took me out in doing so. Isn't the goal of saving someone also mean not taking them out in the process?"

"Not my fault you chose to deal with Nathan in the parking lot."

"I didn't have a choice in that matter too."

"Just be grateful I saved you, girl. Sheesh, so ungrateful, I swear."

"It's the company I keep." Max remarked as they both laughed.

The girls continued to banter as they walked until Chloe suddenly stopped bringing Max to a stop as well.

"What's wrong Chloe?" Max inquired as she looked ahead to where Chloe was looking.

Max saw a few people scattered about chatting. The main attraction was a slim clergyman dressed in a standard black church uniform seated on a foldable chair outside a large brown tent. The man's tan skin lead her to believe he was of Spanish lineage with exotic yet handsome features. The man was whistling as he was using a small knife to clean his fingernails.

Max looked over to her blue haired friend again who looked at the man perplexed. "Chloe?" Max asked one more time.

"You're not going to believe this, Max. The preacher over there arrived here with Mr. Mysterious who spooked off Warren." Chloe stated. Max looked back over to the man with curiosity. "I was starting to wonder when he would make a reappearance. Arcadia Bay isn't exactly bustling with religious people striving to save this town's soul."

"Huh, that's bizarre. What's a clergymen doing with a private military?" Max wondered aloud.

Chloe shrugged. "After this week, I stopped asking questions. I'm just going to go with the flow from now on. Only one way to find out who he is and what's going on." Chloe gestured for them to go over to talk to the man.

Max followed Chloe as they wandered over to the man who was still cleaning his fingernails with his knife. Once in front of him, the man withdrew his knife and started to twirl it in his hand as he looked up at the two girls. His face broke out into a cocky grin as he started to talk.

"Welcome girls, have you come here to liberate yourselves from your societal chains and embrace Satan into your hearts?" The man inquired unfaltered.

Max and Chloe looked at each other surprised at the first few words the man had to say.

"Satan?" Max repeated. It's not everyday that you hear Satan brought up in a conversation.

"Yes the one and only." The man replied. "Unless you count Mel Gibson." Tobias continued to twirl his knife. "Not me though, I still respect him. I still respect you Mel. I still respect you."

"I thought you were from church." Max continued.

"I am. The Church of Satanism to be exact. What? Satanism doesn't qualify as a religion to you girls?" Tobias stopped playing with his knife as he looked at the girls' puzzled faces.

"I'm aware it's a religion, I just didn't realize there was an official church for it." Max replied.

Tobias shrugged. "You would be surprised what people would worship nowadays. Tom Cruise preaches for the church of Scientology all the time. Some people worship a giant spaghetti monster. That's Pastafarianism for ya. There's Jedism too. Redefining what it means to be a hardcore nerd. There's also Euthanasia which is anti population growth, etc, etc. People can worship anything these days and get away with it."

"So are you guys really into human sacrifices and summoning demons?" Chloe joined in. "I'm not judging. I'm just curious."

Tobias furrowed his brow. "The only human sacrifices are the wars that rage on everyday. The only demons are those within us. Don't believe everything you see the movies, girls. I've heard stories of dumbassses letting themselves get bit by spiders to see if they would get powers. Hollywood is all about making not money not being accurate. Unfortunately, we do have some bad eggs to fuel the stereotype. Doesn't mean the rest of us should be put in the same basket as those nutcases."

"Ah good. That puts my worries to ease. I guess animal sacrifices are bullshit too?" Chloe continued.

"We have barbeques if that counts." Tobias replied. "I love animals by the way if you wanted to know. I even have a parrot that I taught to spread the gospel of Satan."

"Amazeballs. I totally want to see that." Chloe laughed.

"Unfortunately, I didn't bring him with me. Someone has to cover my church while I'm off being a missionary."

Max couldn't help but grin as she thought of a church somewhere with a bird preaching Satanism to people. "What do you guys do then since you're not all evil as Hollywood portrays you guys?" Max asked as she leaned on one leg.

"Mostly celebrate our free will, individual liberty, and individualism. Stuff we were born with, you know. Bask in the fact that the only higher power is ourselves."

"So do you guys pray to Satan then?" Chloe asked.

"Yes and no." Tobias stated which puzzled the girls. "We don't really worship gods. In fact, we look down on any divine deity. Satan is an archetype who represents pride, carnality, and enlightenment. He represents our highest personal potential, if you will. "

"So you guys are like religious hipsters then?" Chloe stated.

"Sure. Let's go with that." Tobias smiled. "I would take that over being viewed as immoral shadowy wrongdoers who are all about defacing Christianity."

"What do you guys have against other religions that do worship a god?" Max asked.

"Religion fosters sheep behavior. Mankind has lived without the belief of God and notions of fate before and we can still do that. We are the ones that decide our fate. Don't get me wrong, believing in doing what's right and an afterlife is fine and all but we don't have to sacrifice our individualism by blindly believing in a some divine entity we're told is watching and judging us. Then orienting our life to please such. If God is real, then the jokes on me and I was wrong but I'm not going to starting orienting my life to comply with what is expected of me in order to get to paradise."

"Individualism and free will huh. I would never have known about all this." Max said.

"Social Darwinism is the only thing that governs us in this life. No one is helping you aside yourself. It's survival of the fittest. You're either sheep or wolves. You either follow the herd or forage for yourself. Fight or flight. Cower and die or fight and preserve."

"Wow. Sounds hardcore." Chloe commented.

"So are you interested in joining the church then?" Tobias asked.

Max and Chloe looked each other then back at the man.

"No" Max said.

"Maybe." Chloe said.

Max looked over to Chloe surprised. Chloe shrugged. "What it sounds badass. I get to have fun and fight to achieve my highest potential."

"I'm glad I've peaked your interest." Tobias smiled as he put his knife away under his clergy jacket.. "And you are?" He extended his hand out to shake her hand.

"Chloe Price." Chloe grinned as she shook the man's hand.

"The cost of freedom always has a price. Am I right?" Tobias chucked.

"Tell me about it." Chloe remarked.

After Tobias and Chloe were finished shaking hands, Tobias looked over to Max. _I wouldn't say Chloe is the best judge of character but Tobias seems cool._

"Max Caufield." She added.

"Nice to meet you both. My name is Tobias Crane, knife wielding alcoholic satanic preacher extraordinaire." He stated proudly.

"No way. Coolest Preacher ever." Chloe laughed. "I might actually go to church for once."

"Okay I'll admit, that's a little cool.". Max agreed.

"So, Tobias. Who was your friend that you came here with?" Chloe asked as Max shot her a disapproving look. Chloe shook it off.

"Who? Oh, you mean Lucius." Tobias replied slightly caught off guard. "I guess you witnessed the air show and our devily descend here."

"It was pretty hard to miss." Chloe replied. "It's not everyday a small fleet of helicopters descend around here."

"Why the sudden interest in my best friend huh?" Tobias asked mockingly. "I wouldn't bother trying it. Lucius has only ever had eyes on one women so don't think about trying to hook up with him."

"What no. We're not interested in him like that." Chloe pretended to play innocent but still obviously sounded fake. Max grinned at Chloe's remark.

"Sure, you are." Tobias smirked. "I'm not surprised. His devilish good looks have charmed many females but thankfully he's not that sinful. Nope, like I said his heart belongs only to one girl."

"I like him already." Max commented.

"Trust me, we're just curious to know why you two have come to Arcadia Bay." Chloe continued.

"Well, back to Arcadia Bay. We grew up here." Tobias remarked.

"What? You're both from Arcadia Bay too?" Max asked surprised.

"Oh yeah. We used to roam the streets here. The two of us and our merrily gang of misfits ruled the streets of Arcadia Bay and hallways of Blackwell long ago."

"No way." Chloe remarked. "I can't believe you and Lucius used to live here. Dang it, I missed out on the cool generation. Not that there's anything with you or your classmates, Max."

Max rolled her eyes and continued chatting with Tobias. "Wow. I can't believe you both used to go to Blackwell. "What did you guys study there?"

"I was studying art while Mr. Smartass was studying science."

"You pursued art?" Chloe sounded surprised.

"Yeah art. Back before my Satan days, I loved to draw. I still do." Tobias rolled both of his sleeves and held his arms up. Then he pressed both his forearms and showed Max and Chloe his upside down cross tattooed onto his skin.

"Nice tats. I have some myself." Chloe took off half of her jacket to show the tattoo sleeve on her right arm, which had an intricate design featuring flowers, butterflies, and a yellowed skull.

"Very cool." Tobias complimented. "Suits you." Tobias glanced over to Max.

"Don't bother. Max isn't as daring as we are to get tats." Chloe joked

"Hey. I don't want to permanently ink my body. People might not take me seriously if I do." Max crossed her arms.

"Since when do you care what other people think, you hipster." Chloe joked.

"I don't but I'm not really into marking my body. I would be too indecisive to pick a tattoo and too self conscious if I got one." Max defended.

"It's fine Max. I understand. There's more than one way to be free. Lucius always says do what you want in life as soon as you don't end up in handcuffs. So keep that in mind." Tobias winked.

"I'm liking Lucius so far." Chloe chimed in. "So hey, do you would you mind introducing us girls to your friend?"

"Lucius won't bite. He's a married man remember. I'll admit, he's a cocky smartass that spits out a lot of things we wouldn't understand but he's a really nice dude. That is unless you're up to no good then he could be your worst enemy." Tobias spoke.

Max had a feeling that Chloe was going to be more indiscreet and try to ask Tobias more about Lucius so she quickly ended their conversation. "It was nice meeting you Tobias, but we should get going to find some more of our friends."

Chloe looked over to Max and shrugged as she stood closer to Max. "Yeah, we need to find Max's boyfriend." Max nudged her. "And see whose day we could brighten up."

"It was nice feeling you girls. I'm glad Arcadia Bay didn't get too dull after my group of misfits left. I hope to see you both around. Especially you, Chloe at church." Tobias remarked.

"Maybe you will or maybe not. You'll have to wait and see." Chloe retorted earning a smile from the preacher.

"See you around." Max said as she dragged Chloe away.

When the two girls were far enough away from Tobias, Chloe turned to talk to Max. "I could have charmed my way to finding out the connection between Lucius and Warren you know."

"Is that what you call it now? Charm?" Max grinned.

"Shut up. I could have. Rebellion is my second language." Chloe assured her.

"You were starting to sound nosy." Max commented.

"And what you don't?". Chloe joked. "We didn't survive this week not being nosy."

"I know but we should tone it down since we just solved one mystery."

"We could quickly solve another one and be on a roll."

Max shook her head. She stopped when she noticed a familiar purple haired girl standing by the edge of a muddy road. "Not again. One second Chloe." She didn't need her powers to know where this was heading.

"Hey Alyssa, could you come here? I want to introduce you to my best friend Chloe." Max called out.

"Oh sure thing Max." Alyssa replied as she came closer. A military truck drove by and squirted mud up from the road covering the spot Alyssa was just on. "Wow. Super Max saves the day again."

Chloe was grinning at Max who shrugged at what happened.

"If I didn't know better, I would say that it's almost like you have superpowers." Alyssa commented.

Max and Chloe looked at each other and grinned.

* * *

A light breeze whooshed along picking up discarded leaves. The local wildlife chirped and scurried amongst the leaves acting as the only sound on the desolate cliff. The sound of waves crashing into the edge of the cliff could faintly be heard. The lighthouse towered over the trees overlooking the ruins of Arcadia Bay like a sorrowful guardian.

"Someone has been rewinding time here and they're responsible for the tornado." Lucius's words echoed as he faced his two companions and leaned against the back of the bench. "So what are we gonna do about this mess?"

Diana huffed. "First things first. We need some idea about what we might be up against. Well Mr. Detective, what did you dig up during the last few days?"

Lucius cracked his neck then his fingers. He pulled up notepad on his phone."A lot of stuff. Be prepared for the file dump I'm about to unleash. It's gonna be a little hard to follow so try to pay attention. Anyway onto the findings. From all the new sites and social media sites I've combed through as the week preceded, I can surely say that Arcadia Bay became home to a train wreck of drama. I'm talking about conspiracy level shit going down. It wasn't easy to map out the events but I think I got it" Lucius paused to breathe. "As we all know, all the activity started on Monday morning with the first rewind. It's Friday now and we've had almost five days of unpleasant non-stop rewinding. There's two distinct timelines that I was able to partition. In one timeline, we had a missing town girl, Rachel Amber, an attempted suicide by a Blackwell student, Kate Marsh, followed by a series of strange phenomenons like a solar eclipse and numerous animal deaths, Nathan Prescott, Sean Prescott's son, getting suspended from school, and the tornado closing in upon the town. Then a rewind happened Thursday night altering the chain of events bringing us into the second timeline where it's very similar to the first. However, this narrative is different in that there's no attempted suicide or Nathan Prescott being suspended. Instead we had Prescott and the Blackwell photography teacher, Mark Jefferson, being implemented in the murder of Rachel Amber and the kidnapping of numerous girls just before the tornado hits the town early Friday morning which was much earlier today. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there as we had another rewind taking us a few days before we had the first rewind then things are finally allowed to play out starting Friday morning. You two still following?"

"Okay I think so. Just in case, could you run that by me again?" Diana remarked as Marcus grinned. Lucius just rolled his eyes as he put his phone back into his pocket.

"I have a diagram to dumb it down to you ordinary folk. How about that?" Lucius replied. "The big highlight in all of this is the Prescott and Jefferson scandal as it was the biggest difference between the two timelines."

"Out of curiosity, how did you know Prescott's kid was suspended from school?" Diana asked. "Schools don't exactly leave that kind of news out there for everyone to see."

"Let's say even the people that work for Prescott hate him. I'm not gonna say who because I don't wanna jinx them."

"You believe Prescott or Jefferson is the one responsible for the rewind?" Marcus finally spoke up as he crossed his arms.

"No. I don't think so. I considered it but I'm inclined to think that the person doing the rewind was responsible for bringing Jefferson and Prescott to justice."

"What makes you sure it's not one of the convicts behind it?"

"We have an unstable spoiled kid raised by Greedy McFatBags and a creepy photography teacher who keeps to himself. Not exactly time traveler worthy but it's possible. If it was one of them though, they are the worst time users I've ever seen. They practically have cheat codes for life and still lost."

Marcus and Diana nodded in agreement.

"So what makes you think this time traveler has something to do with foiling someone's sick fetish?" Diana inquired.

"Jefferson has been kidnapping girls and evading capture for nearly a decade. Don't you find it odd that he finally gotten taken down just when all the strange stuff happened?"

"People get sloppy you know. We've all seen firsthand that a lot of people hubris are letting their guard down because they get too cocky. It's just human nature that defeats us all. Maybe Jefferson made a mistake and got himself caught while the time traveler messed up something completely separate from this narrative." Marcus brought up. "I'm just saying."

"If time travel didn't exist, I would be more inclined to accept coincidences. However last I checked, there wasn't a huge tornado forecasted anytime soon and Arcadia Bay isn't known to have random tornados either or really any. Then there's this scandal. Coincidence my ass. I believe the time traveler changed something as they went after Jefferson and Prescott which led to the tornado."

"What makes you so sure the time traveler is definitely involved with this whole scandal?" Marcus uncrossed his arms. "Why would they want to tackle on this mystery?"

"Arcadia Bay is a small town so this mystery is right at their front door steps. Everyone knows one another in a small town like this so the time traveler might be attached to the victims prompting them to want to get involved. Just think, if you had the ability to end something horrible, especially one this close to home, and prevent more tragedies wouldn't you want to do something about it." Lucius said.

"That always seems to be the question time travelers ask themselves. Doesn't mean people should however." Marcus stated.

"It's also just human nature to want to help others." Diana interjected. "It's a good theory but it's just a theory until we find this person of interest."

"Thankfully our search grid has been significantly narrowed down to Arcadia Bay and the last rewind being earlier today. It makes our work so much easier albeit possibly making this a piece of cake for us."

"Let's not be celebrating just yet. We haven't done anything yet besides a location and theories." Marcus reminded.

"I know. I'm just saying we could be far worse off. We could be in the failed state Vietnam is in right now." Lucius held up his iPhone with the new article to surprise his friends. "But...we could be stuck miserably searching the globe for a person that can travel through time. Talk about finding a needle in a haystack. It would have been like finding a needle in a planet of hay."

"Tell me Lucius. How much sleep have you gotten in the last few days." Diana laughed as Lucius continued to ramble on tirelessly.

"Oh yeah, sleep. I forgot to do that. Oops." Lucius shook his head. "I've been running on coffee for the whole week doing all this work and I'm mostly fine. It's not like I was gonna get a good night's sleep anyway."

"Try to get some sleep, will you. You'll live longer." Marcus grinned.

"Sleep is for the weak." Lucius replied. "I can try to take a nap later if I crash. Until then, Lucius Alexander Graham is still at your service."

"Listen to Marcus and get some sleep okay." Diana added. "We don't to worry about you too."

"This Vietnam news presents us with the thing I dread the most about. What the hell did was changed during all the rewinds." Marcus stressed. "What's the world we're living in like? If we have a change this big occurring, what else could be brewing?"

"Good thing we have a countermeasure in place for this sort of situation." Diana held up on her iPhone to remind them. Her short dark hair shined in the dwindling sunlight as she walked through the sunlight and rested on the other side of the bench. "First order of business, we should compare notes that our timeline counterparts left for us about this world. A lot can happen in a five-year jump. We already had a tornado leveling a small town and now this Vietnam crisis. What else is different? Hopefully, the time traveler doesn't perform another time jump and alter the timeline again."

"I think we're safe for now. We only had two five-year time jumps and they were back to the same day and back to the same exact time. Their time tampering probably deterred them from going back too far as we only had jumps within this week." Lucius brushed his shoe against the dirt.

Marcus shook his head unconvinced as he stood in front of his two friends. "I wouldn't be that optimistic. They've only been at it for a week. They could just be taking a break from time traveling for the time being. As for the two trips back to the same day, they could've simply been adjusting what they were up to. A tornado still ravaged the place after all." Marcus spoke.

Lucius shrugged. "I'm just proposing the possibility that some unfortunate innocent sap got stuck with something they don't fully understand." Lucius reached into his pocket as well to get his IPhone again. "After all I've been there."

"Except you could only manipulate time forward and see into the future. If this new time wielder was like you, I wouldn't be so worried. We could have another Dustin on our hands." Marcus stated somberly causing them all to quiet down.

"We should hurry up and compare notes." Diana suggested ending the uneasy silence. They all opened up their notes and began their conference.

"At least it's already a good sign if our phones still exist. At least we know Apple is still around." Lucius remarked hoping to brighten things up a bit.

"I guess but there's a lot of variables that could have been altered." Marcus rubbed his hands. "So I wouldn't be letting my guard down."

"For all we know, it could just be lottery tickets. That's what I would have done if I could go back in time." Lucius offered.

Marcus and Diana grinned.

"Unfortunately, I doubt any of us bothered to keep track of lottery winners." Diana stated.

"Why would we? We already have money thanks to Marcus. We're already maintaining an autobiography to record our lives in each timeline. There's only so much we can record in notepad." Lucius said.

"From now on, we should record lottery winners too just in case it becomes relevant for us."

"Great more tedious work." Lucius yawned. "Might as well record Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or anything gambling related winners."

"I'm just saying we should. I know it sucks and we need to cover as many bases as possible." Diana reasoned. "It might just pay off in the long run."

"Too bad we don't live in a reality where we have a robot companion to travel back in time with us. Even if it was a killer robot sent from the future, it could at least record everything for us."

"Spartan Defense Corporation has been commissioned to be the peacekeeping military force in Vietnam." Marcus spoke aloud as he skimmed his notes getting their attention. "At least we were busy doing something. I would hate to land in a timeline where I drove my family business into the ground."

"Apparently this whole Southeastern Asian conflict broke out on May 7, 2010 after a smallpox epidemic broke out there." Lucius added as he skimmed his notes. "The whole gov't collapsed after they couldn't control the outbreak and many gov't leaders got assassinated during the disorder. Crazy shit right there. On a lighter note, the conservationist party won the 2008 presidential election and thanks to them the economy isn't so fucked up."

"Boys. We should stay focused on clearing our lives before we start discussing the state of the world."

"Alright." Both men replied.

"Lets try to keep this brief. A summary should suffice. I already know you guys and you know me. No need to bore each other on our life stories." Lucius stated.

Marcus and Diana nodded as they looked at their notepad entries.

"I'll start it." Marcus stated as he took a deep breath and exhaled. He started scrolling down his entries. "According to what my former timeline counterpart jotted down, my life is for better or worse, the same as usual. My upbringing is difficult to say the least. I left home when I was eighteen to escape my father's shadow and the family business of overseeing a private military empire. I enlisted into the army, joined Delta force later on, and got recruited by the CIA. I got pulled back home after my dad passed away where I ironically took over the family business I tried to get away from." Marcus paused. "I've run the Spartan Defense Corporation for the last several years without incident just like we left it before we ended up here. The biggest difference is our involvement with Vietnam. Spartan Defense Corporation has been functioning as a peacekeeping force alongside the UN since Vietnam descended into chaos. The only negative buzz from this Vietnam thing is that there are conspiracy theorists accusing us of facilitating the whole outbreak because we protected the Republican Army of Vietnam (RAVEN) but let the communist party get desiccated to obscurity. So apparently we created civil unrest just to oust the previous government and secure the rule of a new one. People those days are just as crazy as we left them. That's for sure. We're also good friends with the conservationist party."

"We're just on top of the world thanks to this rewinder. It sucks a country had to be ravaged and a small town had to be leveled for us to come out on top of it all." Diana remarked.

"I say the communists had it coming." Lucius muttered under his breath.

"Well aren't you Mr. Empathy." Diana said.

"I feel bad for the civilians caught in the chaos of course but it's about time the North Vietnamese get their just deserts for being assholes. Could you blame me for being a little happy even if it's sort of twisted."

"It is sort of twisted but I would be lying to say I wouldn't be happy to see the Communist Chinese gov't collapse as well." Diana admitted.

Marcus continued to scroll down his notes then he looked back up at his two associates. "Okay, I done." Marcus concluded. "Who wants to go next?"

"I'll go." Diana volunteered as she scrolled through her notes on her phone. "According to other me, I'm a rebellious daughter that ran away from an overbearing typical Asian family to join the army because the whole doctor career wasn't for me. No shock there. I joined the Rangers and served several tours before my recruitment by the CIA not long after. I eventually got placed under Marcus then we meet Lucius and Dustin and our lives are changed forever after that. After our discharge, we're all hired by Marcus to run his family's private military corporation. Then we're here."

"So far so good. Lucius." Marcus beckoned to his friend.

Lucius cracked his neck. "My turn to add to our tales of woe. Well it all starts when my dad was killed. Tragic backstory. Tragic backstory. I end up joining the ranks of the Oregon City police department to search for my dad's killers. This leads to me being partnered up and reunited with my best friend Dustin who I hadn't seen since elementary school. We learn that we both had time abilities so we play timecop for a while with our various cases."

"It's more like cheating with powers if you ask me." Diana commented quietly as Marcus agreed with her.

"Well you get the rest. We get recruited into the CIA by you two from our impeccable reputation for finding people and being nosy. We send a few years playing spies before it all went wrong when Dustin and I started tampering with time too much. I could go on but we know the story already. After the whole ordeal, I'm discharged along with you two and we start our careers in Spartan Defense Corporation. I dabble with being a private detective for a bit then we're here".

"Good. We got that out of the way." Marcus stated.

"All the boring stuff at least. We still have the second Vietnam conflict and reign of the Conservationist party that's come to our attention." Lucius reminded them.

"We're gonna need to do some digging on these politicians. I don't know where they came from but anytime a third party is able to just win a presidential election, it deserves our suspicion." Marcus interjected. "Spartan Defense might be in good favor with them but that doesn't clear them at all."

"You think the time traveler is connected to the sudden change in the political landscape?" Diana asked. "Or Vietnam?"

"Last I checked no politicians gave a shit about Arcadia Bay. We have corrupt businessmen though." Lucius offered. "I doubt any politicians would fall for Sean Prescott's sliminess. As for Vietnam, I know they have all the time in the world but solving a crime and driving a country into the ground? I highly doubt it but anything could have happened in five years."

"Now that we're back on the topic of the time traveler, we need to discuss how we're going to deal with this problem." Marcus stated.

"I can find the time traveler." Lucius declared. "I did most of the work already by narrowing down the location and determining a general direction to look."

"Once we find the time traveler, what are we gonna do about them?" Marcus asked quizzingly.

Lucius shrugged. "Give them a stern talking to and tips on how not to start another tornado. I don't know. Why? Did you have something in mind?"

"Let's say this time traveler turns out to be dangerous. What do we do then?"

Lucius glanced at Diana who returned his apprehension.

"I'm going to propose a course of action here and you may not like it." Marcus's facial expressions turned serious. "It is imperative that we find this time traveler at all cost and stop them from doing anymore damage. It was a tornado today but next time, it may be being said, I propose we lock up the townspeople immediately to stop the time user from escaping."

Lucius and Diana were shocked at his brash plan.

"Don't you think that's a bit too extreme?" Lucius said. "You're gonna stake our good standings just to take capture one possible dangerous person? I know the tornado and Vietnam isn't exactly helping their case but let's not be too rash here."

"Lucius is right. We shouldn't be making drastic measures just yet." Diana added.

"So we're gonna leave plenty of escapes for this time traveler just because we're good people assuming they're good people too. No." Marcus spat. "We can't just do nothing besides just letting Lucius track them down."

"This isn't my first manhunt." Lucius stated. "Its also not the first time I went up against a rogue time wielder."

"We can't keep all the people in the camp forever. Sooner or later, we'll have to let the people roam free and the rewinder will slip through our fingers and be wreak havoc again."

"What if this person isn't even here or they're dead. All this supposed "good" intentions would be a waste then."

"Then we can be sure we didn't let them escape from our clasp. I can live with some controversy as long as we stopped this threat."

"You're not even considering that this rewinder could be innocent and a victim of their newfound powers." Diana brought up.

"I'm aware they could be a good person but for how long?" Marcus dropped. "Last person that had time powers, they lost their minds with it."

"I turned out fine. Sort of." Lucius said.

"You weren't the one that could change the past and alter the present and kind of power drove Dustin insane. What do you think will happen with this new rewinder?"

"They're not Dustin. Not yet." Diana stated.

Marcus signed. "Not yet but they will be."

"I'm not ready to give up on this rewinder yet. Diana isn't either. We're not gonna do anything drastic just yet."

"If I sound like monster going too far, it's because I don't want a repeat of what happened. We're just lucky that you stopped Dustin when you did." Marcus calmed down. "Fine, we'll take it slow. I just hope you two are right about this rewinder."

"Everyone deserves a second chance. We all make mistakes." Lucius said. "Let's go back to camp. It's starting to feel like a horror movie here."

The sun finally set in the horizon basking the cliff and Arcadia Bay into darkness.

* * *

"Finally! Chow time! I'm starving." Chloe proclaimed as she literally dragged Max to the dinner line.

"Sheesh Chloe, I didn't know you were so hungry." Max laughed as she tried to keep up. Her sneakers were going to get really worn out if she let Chloe keep dragging her.

"All I had yesterday was some bacon that my mom served me so can you blame me for dying of starvation?" Chloe stated as they passed between several tents.

"Point taken. I just hope the food is good then."

"It's a private military corporation. I'm sure they can afford quality food. It's not like they put all their money to making weapons right?"

They reached the dining area which was indicated by the droves of hungry residents lining up to get food. The girls wandered toward the end of one of the lines.

"Dang it. I hate being stuck at the end of long lines. Hella waste of time." Chloe stated bitterly.

"Just be glad there a bunch of smaller lines instead of one super bummer line. We'll get food within 15 minutes rather than a hour or two."

Max spotted Victoria walking away from the mess tents holding two trays of food. Victoria looked tired and anxious. Part of her wanted to leave Victoria to suffer a bit but that's not who Max was.

"Hey Chloe, you mind getting food for the both of us, I want to check up on Victoria."

"I thought you two didn't like each other. You know what, never mind, I don't need to know what happened while you were messing with time. You sure you can trust me with the food. I did say I was starving. There might not be a plate for you if you take too long."

"Wowzers, you're like a black hole. Your nature is to destroy things and you're bottomless pit for food." Max grinned.

"Haha. Funny. Only a few pieces of bacon from yesterday remember. I'm withering away here. Soon I'll just be bones." Chloe exclaimed.

"I won't be long. Promise." Max said as she left the line.

Max started walking towards the direction Victoria headed in. As she passed through the crowd of people shattered about the area, she spotted Victoria through the opening in the crowd. Max carefully traversed the distance and closed up behind on Victoria who had stopped at a picnic table to adjust her trays of food.

"Hey Victoria, how are you doing?" Max started. They didn't resolve their differences in this timeline.

Victoria turned to look at Max and surprisingly wasn't hostile. In fact, she seemed preoccupied. "Hey Max. I'm glad to see that you and your friend got out of the storm alright."

"Yeah, we just took shelter at the lighthouse." Max signed in relief that Victoria wasn't acting like the typical stuck up Victoria she knew.

"That old place. Huh, that's strange. I mean it's great for you and your friend but I'm surprised it was untouched."

"I'm surprised too. If it wasn't we wouldn't be talking right now." Max continued. "So Victoria, are you okay? You seem really worried."

Victoria paused then she signed. "I know we are not exactly friends."

"But we could be." Max interjected.

Victoria nodded somberly. "We could. I want you to know that I've never hated you. In fact I was a little envious of you."

Max was still a little surprised that Victoria admitted her feelings despite hearing it in a different timeline already. Max decided to play along.

"You envious of me? You're rich and popular, why would you be envious of me?

"I guess because you never seem to care about what others think but yet you are talented away." Victoria admitted. "My parents are famous art collectors and I just want to make something of myself so I don't let them down but at the same time be happy with my future. I don't know why I'm telling this. Maybe I am losing my mind after this crazy week."

"You are so talented Victoria. I love your photography and i don't think you'll have a problem getting a successful career. However, you don't have to be mean to others to make yourself feel better. Having friends to bask your achievements with is far better than putting down others to make yourself feel better."

"Wow. Thanks Max for the compliment. I love your photography as well. You just need to get your work out there more which I could help you with if you want."

"I would like that. So Victoria, can we bury the past bad blood between us?" Max asked.

"After narrowly surviving a tornado, yes. I can do that easily." Victoria smiled at her.

"So are you okay Victoria?" Max brought up the question again.

Victoria signed. " Would you mind keeping a secret? I know it's out of nowhere but I need someone to talk to."

"Sure anything Victoria." Max replied. It's not everyday that Victoria confines in you and Max just got on good terms with her former rival.

"Its Nathan." Victoria started as Max quietly gasped. "He thinks he's in trouble and he's hiding out in one of the tents right now."

"That sounds intense." Max pretended to be surprised. "Any reason he thinks that?"

"I don't know. I just heard parts of it. I heard Mark...Mr. Jefferson and something about being involved. He really thinks he's in trouble and I'm not sure how to help him. I know i should be wary of him if he is tied to Mr. Jefferson but he's still my friend and I can't just leave him when he needs me."

"At least you're there for him. That's what matters." Max tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah. Better than his dad is right now." Victoria spat.

"Wait his dad is here?" Max exclaimed. It was plainly obvious from all the papers she went through as she went through Nathan's stuff that Sean Prescott was a horrible person.

"Yeah and he's not helping Nathan at all. Nathan might have his problems but his dad is no help at all. In fact, he might be one of the reasons Nathan needs help." Victoria started to get a little riled up. "Sorry. I should get going, Nathan is probably still being tortured by his dad."

"See you around Victoria." Max held up her left hand as she said goodbye.

"Yeah. I'll see you around, Max." Victoria replied.

Max started to turn around and head back to Chloe but she spotted Mrs. Grant at one of the tables accompanied by Brooke, Alyssa, and Stella. No Warren surprisingly. They were having a friendly lively chat.

"Hey Mrs. Grant." Max spoke up as she approached her chemistry teacher at the table. She nodded to her other friends who smiled. "Guys."

"Max, how's one of my favorite students?" Her teacher beamed at her.

"I honestly could be doing better without a tornado nearly speaking doom upon us but I'm okay, Mrs. Grant." Max smiled back.

"I'm glad to see that you got out in one piece from the storm."

"I'm glad you and everyone else from Blackwell got out okay."

"It's thanks to the Spartan Defense Corporation. I never really cared much for those sort of people but they got my respect for showing up miraculously to save us all."

"I'm overjoyed they came too. So, do you have any idea on how to explain the tornado?"

"Not at all. Science isn't going to explain this any better than it did explaining the Bermuda triangle. It'll be marked down as another one of those phenomenons we can't explain."

"I figured. No one seems to know how to explain it."

"We don't always have answers for everything. That's just the reality of life. Some things are beyond our comprehension. We can only explain so much and just have to accept everything else." Mrs. Grant assured her.

"I doubt anyone can explain the snowfall and crazy animal too." Brooke chimed in. "The tornado is another mystery amongst all of this."

"Do you think it's Tobanga?" Alyssa decided to bring up. "Perhaps some supernatural caused all this weird stuff."

"Not that's crazy talk, Alyssa. I highly doubt that the totem had anything at all to do with the strange occurrences." Stella joined in.

"I don't know Stella, like Mrs. Grant said, some things are beyond our comprehension. We can't even be sure if it wasn't Tobanga." Max defended Alyssa's response.

"Does it really matter what we think caused all this strange stuff? I'm just it's over and we're alive and well." Brooke stated. "I frankly just want to forget about the tornado and snow for awhile and just focus on how we are going to recover from this."

"I hear ya. Brooke. I'm tired from thinking about this too. We should just move on from it." Max agreed.

Max decided she should head back to find Chloe so she quickly excused herself from her teacher and classmates.

She spotted Chloe as soon as she went back toward the horde of people. She finally reached almost the beginning of the line and was about to grab some food.

"I was starting to wonder if you would ever come back. Grab us a table, I'll be right with you soon.

Max went back toward the dining area and picked out an empty table. She took a seat and looked around the dining area that was swarmed with people. _It's still so surreal to see the everyone from town alive and well after the tornado tore through the place. I have no words to explain how happy I am everything turned out the way it did. Almost makes me feel less guilty. Almost._

Here you go Max." Chloe interrupted her thoughts as she handed her friend a plate of food and took a seat across from her. Max took the plate of food as she stretched in her seat.

"Thanks Chloe." Max said as she sat up in her bench. Max looked down at the food and noticed it was Mac and Cheese with some chicken and mashed potatoes. It wasn't a fancy meal but it was mouth watering since her last meal was ages ago. Max started to eat as she looked over at Chloe who munching down on the food. After all the crazy stuff this week, Max was glad to still have her best friend at her side.

"What's wrong Max? You seemed really quiet and withdrawn just before I got back." Chloe asked with concern for her best friend.

"I'm just tired from all the shit today." Max started. "You have no idea what kind of mental stress I have from using my rewind ability to my limit to save you."

"I'm not even going to pretend how hard it was for you, Max..." Chloe began as she hesitated to continue talking. "... thank you again for saving my life...again. I know I've put you in another impossible situation..." Chloe was referring to the other timeline. "...but I'm grateful you used your powers again to save my sorry ass even when I didn't deserve it."

"Of course Chloe. You're my best friend. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Max replied with sincerity in her voice.

"Aww. That deserves a groping hug." Chloe stated as she put her tray down onto the table, stood up, and opened her arms for Max to hug her. Max eagerly accepted as she put her tray down and got up. The two girls hugged. They held each other in a warm and heartfelt embrace as they poured all their years of friendship and love into it.

"I'll always be with you Max." Chloe stated as she continued to hold her sister in time.

"I know, Chloe." Max replied. "I'll never leave your side again."

They continued to hug for a little longer until Chloe looked up from Max's shoulder and noticed Warren wandering into their area as he noticed them. Chloe grinned when she noticed his geek evolution of apes to human shirt for the first time today.

"Not that I don't mean a hug or all this warm and fuzzy talk but I see Mr. Apes again." Chloe brought up. Max broke away to look over to Warren as he walked up to the girls. He looked restless.

"Hey gals." Warren smiled like everything was normal and he sat down as Max scooted over to make room for him.

"Warren did you find your parents?" Max asked worried when she didn't see them with him.

"Oh yeah. No worries Super Max. I found them awhile ago. My mom wouldn't let me leave her sight. You know typical mom stuff when they're worried about you. It took me awhile to convince her to let me go." Max smiled as she started to see the familiar Warren loved being around. Chloe smiled also at the news.

"Dude who was that guy who spooked you?" Chloe inquired. Again, getting to the point.

Max could see Warren's facial expression take a slight dip as his happy goofy smile went away.

"What's wrong Warren?" Max asked as she grasped his arm. "Come on you can tell me."

Warren signed as he looked into Max's blue eyes that were shining with worry. "I'm sorry, I thought I saw someone I knew long ago. I just needed to clear my head for a bit and find my parents."

Max could sense there was more to the story. "Warren. Is that all? You know you can always trust me." Max assured him. Before Warren can open his mouth to speak anymore, Zachary burst into the dining area.

"Holy shit! Dudes! David Madsen is going to arrest Nathan." Zack exclaimed as he ran into their area. There was a brief pause as everyone took in the news then everyone left their meals and went to go see the commotion. Chloe, Max, and Warren of course got up to see what was happening. They followed their townspeople to where all the drama was going down.

Max, Chloe, and Warren carefully circumvented through the crowd of people until they had a clear view of the scene before them. In front of them was David, Officer Berry, and a few other Arcadia Bay police officers on one side of the circular clearing with a hawk faced man with black rimmed glasses and clad in an expensive brown suit with four of his henchmen clad in black suits behind him on the other side. Max recognized the cruel looking man as none other than Sean Prescott. Seeing Sean Prescott in person proved Max's assumption that he was raging asshole. She almost felt bad for Nathan for living in the same house as him.

"See what you've done, Prescott, you created a scene." David scorned him. "We could have done this quietly but you fucked that up just like you've done to the town."

Officer Berry ushered for David to stop badgering Sean Prescott. "It's not too late to settle this peacefully. We just want to take Nathan in for some questioning."

"Like I said earlier, get an attorney if you want to bring my son in. You have no proof that my son is involved in all of this." Sean Prescott spat out.

"Mark Jefferson was kidnapping schoolgirls and holding them in one of your bunkers and he admitted that Nathan was his protege during all of it. Explain that." David replied.

"A criminal would say anything to save themselves. My son was one of his classmates. I may have let Jefferson use one of my bunkers but I didn't know what he was really doing until it was too late. I was duped like Blackwell academy and many other establishments that have hired Mark Jefferson in the past. I had no idea what he was really up to and now you all are trying to use this incident to take me down." Sean shook his head. "After all I've done for this town, you are grasping at straws to find anything to use against me."

Warren shook his head as he heard Sean Prescott try to play innocent. "I guess the apple really didn't fall from the tree after all." Max and Chloe nodded in agreement.

"That asshole is trying to play innocent and get away from all of this." Chloe sneered.

"He better not weasel his way out of this. David and Officer Berry have to take him down once and for all." Max chimed in.

Max spotted Nathan cowering a few feet behind his father and goons. Victoria was standing next to Nathan trying to comfort him as his own father was acting so slimey to slither out of this scandal. Max felt a little bad for him because it was really Sean Prescott that probably caused Nathan to be the way he was.

"We still have to take Nathan in. We have evidence that he's involved with Jefferson." Officer Berry spoke calmly.

"Your only evidence against my son comes from the words of master manipulator that lied his way past many other people." Sean shook his head. "You're just warping evidence to try to incriminate my son and me."

As the officers and Prescott continued to bicker, Max noticed two suited men and a woman escorted by a group of Spartan private military soldiers as they wandered to the edge of the scene. Thanks to Tobias, she now knew that man that had made Warren uneasy was Lucius. She noticed Warren glance at Lucius and he looked down. Max wasn't sure why this man was making him uneasy but she wanted to be there for Warren so she reached down and slid her hand into his. She felt his hand twitch at first but he grasped her hand and turned to grin at her. Chloe nudged Max and gestured to the man they saw.

Max saw the African American man say something to the other man with the Asian women adding something to the conversation. Then Lucius said something back and he started walking towards the standoff between Sean Prescott and the police.

"Now excuse us, you're creating a scene." Sean talked down to the cops. "I'm disappointed in you Berry Anderson and you too David Madsen in coming up with some story to try to undermine my good will and contributions to Arcadia Bay."

"Haha. Prescotts contributing to society. Isn't that an oxymoron. That what you call your business nowadays, goodwill?" Lucius spoke up getting the cops and Prescott's attention.

"Excuse me. I don't think this concerns you." Sean Prescott responded at the newcomer.

"On the contraire. Any domestic disturbances on Spartan Defense grounds concerns me." Lucius stared down the man.

Sean Prescott stared back at the man as they quietly had a staredown. Max could feel the tension in the air as she had a feeling these two men knew each other and hated one another.

Sean Prescott raised his hand to his chin. "I know you don't I? I can't quite place a name but I feel like I've seen you before."

"You've ruined so many other people's lives over the years that I wouldn't be surprised that you've forgotten."

"Ah. Now I remember. Its like looking at a ghost now. Thomas Graham's eldest son, Lucius Graham." Sean Prescott remarked as he figured out who the newcomer was.

"I would say I'm flattered that you figured out who I am but faltering is the farthest feeling from how I feel." Lucius returned.

"First Andersen and Madsen and now a Graham has returned to point fingers. First father and now son." Sean Prescott cocked his head. "You still blame me for your father's death. From what I've heard, he was investigating me just before he was murdered so you think I had something to do with it right? You fit right in with the conspiracy theorists here." He gestured to the cops.

"You sound like a politician. Denying all your wrongdoings and placing blame on others to escape punishment. You probably thought you could weasel your way out of this too. Fortunately, I came prepared for this. You claim there's no proof that your so called perfect son could be involved with Mark Jefferson's business, I beg to differ." Lucius withdrew his Iphone from his left pants pocket.

Sean Prescott grinned as he was curious to see what Lucius could possibly bring up.

Lucius glanced up at Sean Prescott. "So you ready to bleed a little? Dr. Jacoby, Nathan's psychiatrist, quotes "Dear Mr. Prescott, as Nathan's primary psychiatrist for over five years, I feel that I should stop seeing your son as you have disregarded my rather dire and immediate suggestions for his - and others'- well-being."

Max gasped as she looked at everyone else's shocked expression at the drama playing out before them. They were already shocked to hear the reveal that Lucius's last name was Graham and that his father was dead. _Are Warren and Lucius related?_ Now Lucius had his hands on Nathan's doctor note. _Who is this guy?_

Lucius paused after reading the letter. "Should I continue?"

Sean Prescott's calm demeanor vanished in an instant. "How did you get your hands on that?"

"Magician never reveals their secrets right? Don't be so shocked, you know who I am and what I'm capable of. I bet you weren't expecting actual evidence to appear in front of you. You're probably used to sweeping everything under the rug and getting away with everything."

Sean's voice started to falter. "That letter doesn't mean anything."

"You sure. It seems really incriminating to me. It came from a well respected doctor too. I don't imagine a doctor would risk their career by falsifying documents. Student loans don't pay themselves you know." Lucius remarked as he looked back at his phone. "You know well the extent of Nathan's challenges but I feel that you refuse to acknowledge the role you play in his mental health."

"Stop." Sean said as he wiped his brow. Lucius ignored him as he savored making Prescott squirm.

"If I do not have your support, I cannot treat Nathan, it is as simple as that. I fear he is becoming even more disconnected from reality, even if he acts in a personable manner." Lucius continued.

"I said stop." Sean Prescott shouted as he lost his cool.

"If i didn't know better, these could be interpreted as signs of a psychopath or schizophrenic. Either way, it doesn't look good. So there's no chance that Nathan could be associated with another psychopath like Jefferson huh. Dr. Jacoby also diagnosed Nathan with bipolar disorder. It's not exactly clearing him from being a possible psychopath."

"Who do you think you are?" Sean Prescott got agitated. "You think you can waltz here and do whatever you want."

Lucius shrugged. "It worked for you didn't it. Doing whatever you want without consequences. The difference is, I didn't need to ruin other people's lives to be happy."

"Wow, this beats cable." Chloe commented as Max nodded.

"So Officer Barry, there's your evidence. I believe you wanted to take Nathan in. Go ahead and do so." Lucius gestured to the officers.

"Back off. If you want my son, see my attorney." Sean Prescott snarled.

"Wow. Don't go Bill Clinton on us by denying the evidence in front of you." Lucius shook his head. "You Prescotts never learn."

"You haven't proved anything. All you've done is show that you're a nosy kid living in his father's shadow."

"And you're not Prescunt."

"Enough dad." Nathan spoke up finally as he stopped his dad. "I'll turn myself over."

Max looked over to her friends as they along with their classmates were shocked at Nathan being cooperative. Nathan looked over to Victoria who nodded in approval.

"No you don't have to go anywhere, Nathan." Sean calmed down. "These people can't do shit to you."

"It's my fault that I'm in this mess. I should just take it and be done with it." Nathan spoke up to his father as he proceeded to walk over to the cops.

Sean Prescott reached out and grabbed Nathan's arm before he could go. "Nathan. You're not going anywhere. I'm your father and I'm telling you to stay here with me. Got it."

"Dad. I need to accept the consequences of my choices. Isn't that what you would want? Me accepting responsibility for my actions."

Max noticed that Lucius had stepped closer to the two Prescotts. Then her attention went back to the two Prescotts.

"I said you're not going Nathan." Sean refused to relent.

"But dad. I do need help." Nathan said as he looked over to Victoria sorrowly. "I was responsible…"

CRACK. A loud slap echoed throughout the area as Max and many other people gasped when Sean Prescott slapped Nathan across the right cheek with his left hand.

"Shut up Nathan. I have worked too hard to bring you up for you to ruin your own life." Sean Prescott snarled.

As Sean Prescott raised his hand to silence Nathan's whimpering, Lucius grabbed his Sean's wrist. "That's enough asshole."

Sean Prescott signaled to his bodyguards to remain back after they started to close in. Lucius released Sean's arm.

"I thought you didn't care for my son. You're trying to take him down after all." Sean commented.

"While I'm not a fan of this younger generation at all, it doesn't justify abusing them." Lucius replied.

"Always the boy scouts, you Grahams. An extinct way of thinking. That's unfortunately a lesson your father learned too late."

"And being an asshole is timeless with you as the role model." Lucius replied.

The two men stared each other down as the bad blood between the families clashed again.

"You're not going to turn over your son, are you?" Lucius asked.

"Over my dead body." Sean Prescott spat.

"Tempting proposition but you're wasting everyone's' time. Cops come get Nathan." Lucius spoke up.

"Hey. I told you people to back off." Sean pushed Lucius back with his right hand.

Lucius ignored him as he grasped the man's wrist then promptly twisted Sean's wrist as said man yelped in pain and bent his knees to move his body down to alleviate the pain. Then Lucius head-butted the man who tumbled to the ground unconscious seconds later.

Prescott's goons responded shortly after. One thug on Lucius's left tried to punch him with a right hook but Lucius promptly blocked it by raising his arm up to stop the blow. Then Lucius responded by punching the offender in the face. As the man stumbled backwards clutching his face, another attacker from his right tried to hit him. Lucius quickly grabbed the stunned attacker from before by his collar and hurled him into two of his opponents knocking them all to the ground.

The last standing attacker withdrew a collapsible baton with his right hand and tried to strike Lucius. Lucius ducked down as baton barely missed his head then Lucius punched the man in the groin. The man could only grunt in pain as he slowly fell to his knees. Lucius rose back up under the man's right arm and used one hand to grasp the man's wrist and another onto his shoulder. Then he pulled the goon's arm backward and straight up in the air as a loud crackling noise was made. Lucius dislocated the goon's arm.

By then, the remaining three goons had stood back up. Pushing the goon he beat to the side, Lucius approached his opponents. The first thug tried to rush him with a baton. Lucius stepped back to dodge his blows then he ducked from the last blow and grasped the man's neck tightly with his right hand as he used his right leg to sweep the thugs feet from under him as Lucius heaved him down to the ground and punched him once leaving him clenching his broken nose as Lucius stood up, adjusted his collar and sleeves, and walked over to fight some more.

The last two rushed Lucius together. The first attacker used a baton in their right hand and tried to hit Lucius below his chest. Lucius caught the blow and trapped it under his left arm and armpit, then headbutted the man as he swung him to the right to stun the remaining attacker. Then Lucius let go of the man he headbutted then kicked the man in the stomach causing the goon to crash backwards into the man behind him.

As the men separated and tried to stand up, Lucius spun his body and back hook kicked the man on the left with his right leg knocking the man to the ground unconscious.

Facing the last attacker, Lucius easily blocked the man's left punch and punched the man in the face. As the thug was stunned and tried to punch with his right hand, Lucius blocked it too and swiftly punched the thug in the neck causing the offender to collapse to the ground gasping for air.

The previous thug that Lucius broke the nose of, tried to make one last ditch effort to hit Lucius but Diana stepped in and chucked one of the discarded batons onto the back of the man's head. Then as he stumbled forward towards, Lucius turned to elbow him and man fell backward onto the ground with a thud.

Lucius gave a small nod to Diana as he walked over to the still gasping henchmen.

"I think you made your point Lucius." Marcus commented.

"Almost done here." Lucius replied. "Here's something for the pain." He said to the goon as he uppercutted the man out cold. "Now I'm done."

Lucius proceeded to walk to the congregate of soldiers as he adjusted his attire.

"Cleanup on aisle one. Someone dumped a lot of trash on the camp grounds. Make sure the janitor gets to work cleaning up the garbage here." Lucius remarked as he walked away from the carnage. "So uncivilized. You should have just tasered the bastard and be done with it."

It was so quiet that a pin could be heard if someone dropped one All the Arcadia Bay residents were speechless from shock or from pure joy at the events that transpired in front of them. They watched as Lucius walked away from the scene then at the Arcadia Bay police officers as they picked up the men that Lucius destroyed.

David put his hand on Nathan's shoulder as he escorted Nathan away with the rest of the officers. Nathan took one look at his unconscious father being heaved up by the guards before looking at everyone around them before residing himself to his fate. Victoria looked down with sorrow as she quietly accepted her friend being taken away.

Chloe was all smiles at what transpired. "Holy shit. That was hella amazing. I don't know who that dude was but he's already cool in my book."

Once, Max and Warren got over their shock, they nodded at Chloe with agreement. "I can't believe he stood up to Sean Prescott like that then just headbutted him and beat the shit out of his bodyguards." Max said.

"He's already got my curiosity. Anyone that can step up to the Prescunts is alright in my book. Just like you Warren." Chloe remarked.

"Ahh. Thanks Chloe. I think." Warren remarked as the three friends walked away together.

Max clutched her head as a sudden headache overtook her. She heard Warren and Chloe stop and come to her aid. She closed her eyes, as the headache seemed to get worse then it suddenly subsided.

* * *

As the pain finally subsided, Max's eyes fluttered open. She gasped in horror as she realized that she wasn't at the refuge camp anymore. She glanced around her surroundings and realized that she was standing the middle of the street in a dark outed city. Nightfall had descended. The only light source were the burning flames from barrels and shattered makeshift torches being held by some of the people on the street.

Her senses slowly returned to her, as her hearing kicked in. She winced when she heard gunshots in the air followed by overwhelming screams from a crowd of people as they fled down the street towards her. Max took a step back as the crowd of people rushed her way trampling over each other as they fled. Max didn't hesitate and started to run as well. Max reached into her pocket and got out her phone. She pressed her home button but her phone wouldn't light up. She tried holding down the lock button to turn it on but still got no results.

"Max! Max!" She heard. Max scanned the street for the source of the voices. "Max!" She did a quick turn and saw Chloe and Warren waving their arms to her to come their way. Max questioned what they were doing in her nightmare but she was more glad to see familiar faces.

Before she can open her mouth to speak, more crackling of gunfire caused her to snap her head back in the direction that the mob of people were fleeing from. She felt someone grasp her hand, lead her to turn the corner of the street, and pull her into the alley.

Max glanced back towards the direction of the gunfire and gasped when she saw a group of skull masked soldiers clad in military fatigues with weapons marching down the street. _Who are they?_

"Shit I thought we ditched those clowns!" Chloe remarked causing Max to turn to her friend.

"They're gonna tear apart the city looking for us." Warren added. "They're not going to stop."

Max gasped when she felt a cold metal object poke her in the back of the head. Her friends heard her and turned around to see none other than Mark Jefferson himself with a pistol pointed at Max.

Jefferson held his left pointer finger to his lips to signal them to be quiet. Then he gestured with his pistol for them to start walking down the alley away from the street.

When Jefferson thought they were far enough out of sight, he started talking.

"Well, Max. Fancy meeting you and your friends in the midst of this mess."

"You're supposed to be locked up in prison. How the hell are you here?" Chloe glared at him.

"Let's say some chaos goes a long way in allowing one's escape. You three seem to be very popular tonight. Imagine my surprise when I heard that these mercenaries were after you too. Why is that?" Jefferson trained his sights on Max.

"What do you want with us. Mr. Jefferson?" Max's voice trembled.

"Isn't it obvious? David Madsen and the cops figured out what I was doing. Who do you think lead them to me?"

"We didn't have anything to do with that." Max lied.

"Yeah, asshole, we didn't have anything to do with that." Chloe raised her voice at him.

Jefferson aimed his gun at Chloe, quickly silencing her as she backed down in fear.

"We know that's bullshit. I seem to recall two girls breaking into Nathan's room. Then a certain someone intervened and helped them escape." Jefferson glanced over at Warren who looked uneasy at the two girls. "Lets not forget the security cam catching you two girls snooping around in a particular bunker as they were searching for Rachel Amber." Jefferson aimed his pistol back on Max. "Then suddenly, later that night, I was taken in by police. Who else would have lead them my way? So don't play innocent with me." He raised his voice.

"Okay. Okay. We were snooping around in the bunker." Max admitted hoping to calm him down.

"See, was that so hard to tell the truth?" Jefferson eased off on aiming the gun. "However, what I don't get...is how you girls got as far as you did in the case. I've covered my tracks very well but yet you girls cracked through it all flawlessly. How is that even possible? And don't say luck." Jefferson aimed the pistol intently at Max.

Max was shaking she stared down the barrel of the gun. _How did we get to this? When does this happen?_ Max felt her eyes water as she felt absolute fear.

"Not talking huh. I guess I'll have to shoot one of your friends to get answers." Jefferson aimed the pistol at Chloe.

"No!" Max spoke up. "I'll talk." _I have to tell him about my time powers to save Chloe._

"It was me." Warren spoke up. "Max and Chloe told me about what they found and I called Lucius who did some digging. He went after Sean Prescott and found out about the bunker and some of the stuff you were doing. It's me you're want."

Max looked over at Warren surprised that he came to her rescue. _Her white knight._

"Thank you, Mr Graham for stepping up to the plate. I admire your honesty to tell me the truth." Jefferson lowered his pistol for a few seconds before he raised it again.

Max could only watch in horror as the next few seconds played out in slow motion as Jefferson raised his gun up again at Warren, pulled the trigger, and a gunshot ripped through Warren's head spraying blood all over the concrete. Max clasped her hands over her mouth as Warren's corpse fell to the ground.

* * *

When Max opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see that Warren and Chloe were gone and there wasn't just a crowd of people huddling around the recent spectacle that Sean Prescott was causing.

Max gasped as her senses came back. She was back at the table that she was resting on earlier. _What no! Not again. I thought I was done with this._

As on cue, Chloe came up and seated herself in front of Max.

"Here you go Max." Chloe said as she handed her friend a plate of food.

Max took the food but she was shaking like crazy when she processed what happened.

"What's wrong Max? You seemed really quiet and withdrawn just before I got back. Also you look like you've just seen a ghost. I'm not dead if that's what you're wondering thanks to you. Want me to pinch you just to prove it to you?" Chloe said as she noticed her friend's nervous body language. Max placed the plate of food on the table.

"Chloe! I just I just used the rewind again without meaning to..." Max grabbed her friend nearly knocking over her plate of food. "...and I had another horrible vision of the future."

"Wow. Wow. Calm down." Chloe stressed as she sent her food down in a safe place. "What are you talking about now?"

"Chloe, I had another crazy vision where you, me, and Warren were stuck in some city and people were after us. Jefferson captured us and he killed Warren." Max's voice started to falter as the shock threatened to overtake her.

"It's happening again. I saw the future and Warren is gonna die and a city is going to be terrorized." Max exclaimed as she felt like she was losing her mind. Her head was aching again. "What if I messed with my powers so much that I broke the world and time will keep rewinding as bad things keep happening."

"Calm down Max. You might just be imagining it all from all the stress we went through." Chloe tried to assure her.

"No, it happened Chloe. I know it did." Max tried to breath. "You're going to see Warren come up."

Chloe looked over Max's shoulder and spotted Warren coming over right on cue.

"We briefly talk about the dude who spooked Warren for a moment then Zachary comes over yelling about Sean Prescott making a scene with the police."

"Hey guys. What's up?" Warren called out as he came over to chat. He looked over to Max and saw her worried face. "Wow. Max. Are you alright?" Warren became concerned as he went over to his best friend.

Max shook her head as she questioned her sanity. Chloe placed her hand on her shoulder and tried to reassure Max.

"Max. What's going on? Information please." Warren pleaded as he tried to figure out what was happening.

Max decided whether she should tell Warren about her powers. She would have told him from day one but Nathan interfered then she ran into Chloe. When Max finally did tell him, Warren believed her immediately without question.

Before she could start telling Warren, Zachary burst into the scene as Max predicted.

"Holy shit! Dudes! David Madsen is going to arrest Nathan." Zachary shouted.

"Lucius is going confront Sean Prescott and Lucius headbutts Sean out cold as he beats the shit out of his guards." Max added.

Chloe acted intrigued as she heard the news.

Warren was completely shock though when he heard it. "How do you know that name, Max?"

Max looked over at Warren. "Warren, remember what I was going to tell you in the parking lot when I came to give you back your flash drive?" Warren nodded his head. "Well, I telling you about how strange my day was and that…"

"Guys, didn't you hear? David Madsen is going to arrest Nathan Prescott." Juliet exclaimed as she walked by. The three friends had looked over to the girl as she talked and left.

"Warren. It's about that." Max finished as she got up and started to walk with the rest of their classmates to the scene. Warren and Chloe got up and followed her still concerned about their friend.

Max and her friends joined the everyone else as they watched Sean Prescott try to slither his way out of trouble. It went down exactly as Max watched before. Lucius intervenes and starts shooting out evidence to implicate Nathan and tarnish the Prescott's record as Sean Prescott starts to lose his cool. Nathan offered to go peacefully surprising everyone but Max. Sean Prescott slaps Nathan and steps in. Sean lashes out at Lucius who twists Sean's wrist and headbutts him out cold. Then he lays waste to the bodyguards.

Max clutched her head as she started to feel faint. Warren and Chloe were on her immediately and they helped her find a place to rest.

* * *

Lucius knew another rewind happened almost immediately. He had given a much needed beatdown to Sean Prescunt and his goons, and was just departing the scene. He only made it a few feet before he was suddenly walking with Marcus and Diana again as they made their way to the commotion on camp. He glanced once at both friends and they all knew what happened but acted normal and tried to recreate everything they did just like before the rewind.

"Cleanup on aisle one. Someone dumped a lot of trash on the camp grounds. Make sure the janitor gets to work cleaning up the garbage here." Lucius said as he walked away. "So uncivilized. You should have just tasered the bastard and be done with it."

Lucius nodded to Marcus and Diana as he left the area.

"Well, that was exciting." Lucius paused as he realized it was Jeanne talking. She was still dressed in her robe attire. "When I said I would be rooting for you when the fireworks started, I wasn't disappointed."

Lucius shook his head as he grinned at seeing his new friend. "Stick around with me and you'll see much more."

"Now you're just teasing me." Jeanne purred. "What are you up to now?"

"Probably let the commotion die down a little and get some rest." Lucius replied. "But I'm going to start getting to work on dethroning Prescott and freeing this town from his clutches."

"Anything I can do to help? People aren't exactly lining up to get their fortunes read."

"Their loss. I'll start forwarding documents to you when I get to my trailer. You should head back now if you want to get started."

"Okee dokey then. Let the fun begin...after the paperwork."

"We have to start somewhere. I call it the rising action." Lucius joked as Jeanne giggled. They departed way as Lucius walked to his trailer.

"Sir, your stuff has been dropped off as you requested." A female soldier with blonde hair stated as Lucius reached the door to his trailer.

"Hey what's up?" Lucius said as he recognized the female soldier from the helicopter ride.

"I aided the relief effort with everyone else."

"No need to call me sir all the time. We're not in the US military. Just call me Lucius. I'm just a normal person like you."

"Yes sir...I mean Lucius."

"Feel more at ease now, talking without these rules and guidelines? I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"I'm Hannah Thompson."

"Like the Thompson submachine gun Glad to finally meet you, Hannah." Lucius extended his hand out to shake her hand. After she shook it, Lucius brought her hand up to his lips as he kissed her hand. She smiled at his action. "Lucius Graham."

"I've heard that you caused quite the commotion in camp."

Lucius grinned. "That's Grahams for ya. Never a dull moment. It was nothing. I just took out the trash if you may. Nothing to worry about."

"A lot of chatter for just taking out the trash."

"It was trash that had been piling up for awhile from town."

"Okay. So what are you up to now?" Hannah leaned against the door frame.

"Misbehaving, I guess." Lucius leaned against the other door frame. "I came home to save this town and its people. I still have a lot of work to do."

"Next to reconnecting to your family of course?"

"Yeah. I just ran into my younger brother earlier today too."

"You say anything to him?"

Lucius shook his head. "He didn't seem in the mood to talk so I gave him some space."

"Well, someone is going to have to make the first move so why don't you?"

Lucius shrugged. "I wouldn't even know what to say anyway."

"Start with apologizing and see where it goes from there."

"I might try that when I work up the courage."

"Really, you're scared to reconnect with your own family. After all the stories surrounding you being some sort of badass, you're afraid of talking with your own family?"

"A lot of people dread seeing their in laws right? I guess I dread being rejected again by own family."

"It never hurts to try right? Better to have tried then to not have tried at all." Hannah drummed her fingers alongside the trailer. "I should be getting back. I have to aid in the search effort in the town tomorrow morning."

"It was nice meeting you Hannah." Lucius stated as she took a few steps away.

"It was a pleasure meeting you too, Lucius." Hannah replied back as she turned to face him one more time before turning away to leave again.

Lucius nodded as he opened the trailer door and went inside.

* * *

David Madsen was livid. Before he was scared out of his mind not knowing if Joyce or even Chloe were alive and well after the tornado laid waste to the town. Despite being overjoyed to find his family, it was quickly replaced with anger when he spotted Lucius milling about the townspeople. Then he spotted Marcus and Diana, then the floodgate of emotions opened.

David strolled through camp as he worked his way towards his destination. He soon reached the steps leading up into a trailer. David took a deep breath and exhaled. Then he knocked on the door to the trailer.

There were sounds of footsteps then seconds later the door opened to reveal Lucius Graham who was dressed in just his white dress shirt and black pants.

"David Madsen, I knew my eyes weren't deceiving me. Do I want to ask why you are here?" Lucius asked as he kept the door open just enough for him to peek through the opening.

"I don't know what you and your friends are up to but I'm warning you to stay away from Arcadia Bay." David stated sternly.

"Is that anyway to thank one of the town's saviors?" Lucius remarked as he leaned against the doorframe. "Besides, what is it that you think I'm up to?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I just know it's no good." David crossed his arms.

Lucius shook his head. "Well, aside from saving Arcadia Bay, I just want the same thing you want, Sean Prescott locked up."

"If only that were true but I know better. I know the kind of man you are."

"I'm curious, what kind of man do you think I am?" Lucius inquired.

"A liar and a murderer." David stated coldly.

"I worked with the CIA, David. I didn't survive by being honest and a pacifist. Unless of course, you believe I was already those things before the job. In that case, where's your proof for these serious accusations?"

"Dubai." David dropped.

Lucius's grin faded. "Still convinced some conspiracy happened there, are you? You read the report, you know what happened."

"Those reports are bullshit. A cover up for what really happened."David stated.

"As much as I would like to discuss conspiracy theories with you. Not. I have more pressing matters to attend to." Lucius shook his head.

"Hey this is not over. I will expose you and your friends for the war criminals you all are. And I will bring justice for Charles."

"Focus on who the real enemy here. Sean Prescott. Goodbye, David." Lucius said as he closed the door.


End file.
